INFORMATION: SAN BLAS ISLANDS, PANAMA

The San Blas Islands are located 100 miles east of Colon, Panama on the northern coast in the Caribbean Sea. There are over 340 islands in this archipelago. They are governed by the Kuna Indians with little interference from the central Panamaniam government. All islands are owned by the Kuna Indians and most are uninhabited. Only huts are built on most of the islands. Some of the islands which are closer to the mainland are densely populated with narrow passageways between the reed walled homes.

A few of the islands have forsaken the traditional Kuna ways and have used concrete in their buildings. Every palm tree is owned by a Kuna Indian and therefore taking a coconut from any of the islands is stealing. Columbian boats regularly visit the islands to collect coconuts for export. The Kuna transport themselves by paddling in their dugout canoes, called “ulus.” The women dress in bright traditional skirts, head scarves and blouses with strands of tiny colorful beads often totally covering their calves and lower arms. Some of the women have gold rings in their noses and some a line of paint down the bridge of their noses. The women hand sew “molas,” a colorful reverse appliqué cloth product of intricate design. They are priced from $10 to $100, with the average in the $25 range. Molas are now sewn primarly for the tourist trade but are traditionally made to decorate the women’s blouses, front and back. Although some understand Spanish, they speak their own Kuna language. We communicate with broken Spanish and sign language. Many enterprising Kuna row to anchored yachts with molas stored in 5-gallon containers often bringing their children with them. Many of the Kuna men come by to sell lobster ($3-$5 each) or crab ($2-$4 each). We are told that scuba diving is not allowed in the San Blas Islands because it would compete with the Kuna’s ability to free dive deep to collect crab and lobster to sell.

The islands are absolutely gorgeous! Most are sandy white beaches with palm trees in the middle. The various hues of blues surround the islands and shallow reefs fringe most of them. They vary in size from a tiny sand spit with one palm tree to a ½ mile long covered with palms. The reefs contain healthy hard corals and numerous reef fish. Several long time cruisers in this area have informed us that in just the past 2-3 years many of the beaches on the islands have shrunk or been eroded by rising waters. We have seen numerous fallen palm trees with exposed roots lying in the waters around many islands. We have also heard of several islands that have disappeared under water. What a great shame it will be if these beautiful islands are wiped out by the rising waters caused by global warming.