This is a great place to dine, drink, snorkel, sunbathe, read and more.

©2007 Scott Doggett, Special to WhozHereNow.com
This is the most popular snorkeling site in the archipelago and a great place to chill out. One could do much worse than spend an afternoon here ogling fish and admiring coral, chowing seafood and sipping rum & Cokes.

Cay is Spanish for key, as in itty-bitty island (or kilo of wacky tobaccy, we know), but there’s no island here to speak of. Rather, there’s a sandless clump of mangrove forest the size of a Mini Cooper dealership rising out of a shallow sea, beside which are two thatch-roofed, open-sided cabañas on stilts served by a restaurant-bar.

There’s also a deck for sunbathing, a three-shelves-and-a-fridge basics store (think diapers, cookies, laundry soap, rolls like hockey pucks, only harder) and a clapboard outhouse that produces pure fishfood. All are connected by catwalks a meter or so over the water.

The amiable Luis Smith, Coral Cay's owner since 1997, says the best time to visit is around noon, when the place is packing diners. That's because most toss their leftovers in the water, which attract grey snapper, parrot fish, doctor fish, angel fish and other eye candy.

Also attracted to the leftovers is a meter-long, 20-pound barracuda Luis calls "Barri" that cruises in seeking scraps. Barri's been makng visits since 2001. He or she (who the heck knows) comes around 10 a.m. every day and stays till around 2 in the afternoon before going to Moe's for a Buzz.

Barri fancies just about anything edible and will occasionally rip apart a startled snapper if service is slow or if it wants to freak someone out. But Barri's favorite food is chicken. "She like it! She really like it!" as Luis puts it. (S)he might also really like fingers; fight the urge to place yours in front of Barri's toothy grin.

Coral Cay's specialty is mixto de marisco (mixed seafood; $12), which includes lobster, crab, conch, filet of fish, rice and salad. Because the area's lobster stocks are so depleted the fishermen are catching little ones (boo! hiss!), we recommend you give that dish a pass.

Besides, it's not the tastiest dish coming out of Luis' kitchen. That would be red snapper in coconut sauce with salad and patacones (fried plantain slices). That plate goes for $10 and it's the one shown in the photo (looks good, don't it?).

The structure cluster at Coral Cay is reached by boat (30 mins from Bocastown), and most visitors will have a seafood lunch there and a couple of drinks when they aren’t in the shallow, warm water. The kitchen and bar are open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Waterwise: There’s no current to speak of, so you needn’t fret about being swept out to sea, but do stay within the buoys as many boats pass just outside of them. The water is as warm as Rosie O'Donnell's bathwater and considerably clearer, and it's rare to see a jelly fish in there, what with all the electric eels, tiger sharks and Swamp Things.

J&J Transparente Tours on Calle 3 (tel/fax 507-757-9915), Ancon Expeditions of Panama (tel/fax 507-757-9226, on Avenida H at Calle 3) and other operators go to Coral Cay, as do boatmen offering their services as you stroll around town. Expect to pay $20 to $30 for the round trip, excluding meal.

A Special WhozHereNow Request: If you're overcome with an urge to tell the bartender to create a drink the likes of which Earth has never seen and if you choose to name that drink Barri, we want to know what's in it and how scrumdillyiscious and pleasuraptuous it is, and the alcoholics among us would appreciate it if you'd shoot us a pic of it for our soon-to-exist Cocktails Gallery.

Location

10 miles SE of Bocas Town

Between Islas Bastimentos and Popa

Bocas del Toro

Panama