Our Fortieth Anniversary Adventure
Part of: Fishing Around the World • Adventure Experiences • Panama
Some trips stay with you forever — not just because of where you went, but because of the unexpected adventures along the way.
For our 40th anniversary, Bob had one dream: an exotic big game fishing in Panama. Over the years we had enjoyed deep sea fishing in several places — off Mazatlán in the Sea of Cortez, in the Bahamas, and out of Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. But this trip would take us to one of the most legendary sport fishing locations in the Pacific: Hannibal Bank, located near the border of Panama and Costa Rica.
This remote seamount is famous among anglers for producing huge black marlin, yellowfin tuna, and other trophy fish.
✈️ Getting to Panama’s Remote Fishing Grounds
Leaving from Oklahoma City, we flew first to Houston and then on to Panama City.
After a two-hour layover, we boarded a small regional flight headed to David, located in the Chiriquí Province near the Pacific coast.
The flight itself became the first adventure.
The small plane — carrying about forty passengers — took off in heavy rain. About ninety minutes into what should have been a one-hour flight, the captain announced we were turning around due to dangerous winds and poor visibility in David.
After waiting out the worst of the storm back in Panama City, the crew attempted the flight again. This time we made it — though the landing was definitely a white-knuckle experience around 10:00 PM.
Aura, the manager of the Panama Big Game Fishing Resort, met us at the airport and drove us about ninety minutes toward the fishing lodge in Chiriquí.
But the adventure wasn’t over yet.
To reach the lodge we boarded a launch that took us across the water to a dock at the base of a steep hillside. In the pitch dark we climbed aboard a small cog-wheel rail car that carried us and our luggage up the steep hillside to the lodge.
Despite the late hour, the chef had waited for us and prepared a wonderful midnight meal before we finally turned in for some much-needed sleep.
🌊 Day One – A Wild Start to Our Big Game Fishing Experience in Panama
We were scheduled to leave the dock around 6:30 AM the next morning.
The tropical air was warm and humid with a strong breeze. Our captain Chi Chi and his mate Martine welcomed us aboard and we headed out for our first Panama fishing adventure.
Unfortunately we didn’t get far before one of the engine manifold hoses blew off.
After several unsuccessful attempts to repair the issue, Chi Chi made a quick decision — we would take the owner’s personal boat, a 35-foot center console with twin Yamaha engines.
The boat on the left broke down in the morning, the boat on the right was the one that had significant engine problems during the tropical storm.
Because of a tropical storm farther out in the Pacific, the captain decided to keep us closer to shore — about 35 miles offshore.
That decision would turn out to be a very fortunate one.
🐟 The Marlin
This trip was a catch-and-release adventure, which meant the goal was the thrill of the fight rather than bringing fish home.
We trolled for marlin and tuna for a couple of hours and caught a few barracuda, but nothing major.
Meanwhile the weather was deteriorating quickly.
The seas had built to nearly eight feet, and the rain was coming down in sheets. Chi Chi spotted birds diving in the distance and predicted we’d find baitfish nearby.
Sure enough, a school of small bonito appeared. We caught two quickly and placed them into bait tubes.
Chi Chi smiled and said simply:
“Marlin will be around.”
Within minutes one of the baits was sliced clean in half — something large had attacked it.
The remaining bait was redeployed.
Moments later Chi Chi shouted, “There he is!”
A black marlin exploded from the water more than a hundred yards away.
Martine strapped a full stand-up fighting harness onto me as the battle began. The seas were rolling heavily and rain was pouring down. Martine wrapped one arm around my waist while holding onto the captain’s chair with the other to keep me steady.
Meanwhile Bob was alternating between cheering, photographing the moment, and battling seasickness.
After about 30 minutes, we brought the magnificent fish close enough for photos.
The marlin weighed was estimated to weigh 450 pounds — and after a few quick pictures, it was released safely back into the Pacific.
⚓ The Rescue
But the day still had more drama ahead.
On the way back to shore one engine suddenly failed — and shortly afterward the second engine also lost most of its power.
We were left drifting in rough seas with only minimal propulsion.
Eventually we did make our way to a group of uninhabited volcanic islands where we anchored and waited for help to arrive.
Hours later the lodge’s larger boat — the Bluefin — arrived to rescue us.
Transferring from one boat to the other in heavy seas may have been the most dangerous moment of the day as both vessels pitched and rolled alongside each other.
We finally arrived back at the dock around 10 PM.
Aura and the chef greeted us at the lodge, took our dinner orders, and told us to freshen up before returning for a late meal.
It had been an unforgettable first day.
The storm, the giant marlin, Bob’s seasickness, and the engine breakdown left us wondering if traveling to such a remote destination had been a wise idea.
Years later we laugh about it — because it ultimately became the highlight of the entire trip.
🌴 Exploring Panama
The next day we decided to take a break from fishing.
The weather had improved dramatically, and Aura arranged for a driver to take us inland through the beautiful mountains of Chiriquí Province for a zip-lining adventure.
The course included more than ten zip-line segments that carried us across deep jungle ravines and rivers.
It was thrilling — and easily the most exciting zip-line experience we’ve ever had.
Later that afternoon Martine’s son Christian took us by boat to a small uninhabited island about five miles offshore.
Walking along the white sand beach, surrounded only by ocean and jungle, made us feel like we had discovered a hidden corner of the world.
🐟 Hannibal Bank – Tuna and More Marlin
Days three and four took us farther offshore to the famous Hannibal Bank, located about 89 miles from the lodge.
This underwater seamount is considered one of the best big-game fishing locations in the eastern Pacific.
The seas were calmer and the weather partly cloudy.
The ocean was alive with wildlife — sea birds, dolphins, turtles, sharks, and even whales.
Whenever dolphins appeared, yellowfin tuna were usually nearby.
Several times we encountered massive bait balls where tuna were feeding on schools of baitfish. The water erupted with activity as tuna crashed through the bait.
Bob moved to the bow casting plugs into the schools while I fought and landed a 100-pound yellowfin tuna.
And just when we thought the excitement couldn’t get any better — I caught and released another black marlin weighing over 250 pounds.
The fish gods were definitely smiling on this trip.
🌎 A Perfect Anniversary Adventure
After five days of fishing and exploring Panama, it was time to move on to the second half of our anniversary celebration.
Before leaving we spent a day touring Panama Canal and exploring Panama City with a private guide.
We stayed at the beautiful The Grace Hotel, where the staff surprised us by upgrading our room to the presidential suite when they learned it was our anniversary.
From there we continued on to the Riviera Maya for a relaxing week at the beach.
But the memories of fishing in Panama — the marlin, the storms, the adventure — will always be the highlight of that unforgettable anniversary trip.