Private Whale Watching Tour at the Pearl Islands departing from Panama City

This was an experience like no other we have ever had! Gem Charters was easy to deal with and had our best wishes in mind every step of the way. We had originally booked a date early in our holiday. That particular date ended up being very very windy. We were picked up at our hotel and taken to the marina to chat with Eddie and Miguel were supposed to be our guide and captain that day. They explained that due to a storm that had come through the previous day, that the ocean was very rough, and even though it was still within safety limits, they recommended for our experience to reschedule. We took their advice and rescheduled for later in the week. We were shuttled back to our hotel. On the day of our rescheduled tour, Eddie was not able to join us and Miguel. A lovely young man named Jose did instead. We were once again picked up and taken to the marina. We had arranged for a light breakfast to be served as part of our charter. We were able to make use of the stereo and enjoy the ride over to the Pearl Islands. Miguel shared some information about the ocean, the canal and his experiences along the way. He stopped at a drift line and dropped a couple of lines in the water while we made our way to the Pearl Islands. We didn't catch anything at the first stop, but at our second fishing stop, we most certainly did! We caught a 50lb Crevally Jack. Jose and Miguel both stated that it was very rare to see one that big and were also posing for pictures with the fish. Jose filleted it for us and we had some fresh sashimi as part of our bbq lunch. It was delicious! We stopped at several sandbars/islands that were only visible at that time of day due to the tide being out. We were able to snorkel and walk on the sand bars. While snorkeling, we saw blue starfish, octupus, a sting ray, and tons of reef fish. The water was so warm and clear. We stopped at another island where we were able to explore while Miguel and Jose bbq'd lunch for us. While we were having lunch, we were commenting that we hadn't yet seen a whale. We knew it was late in the migration, so it was a possibility that we wouldn't see one. At the same time we were commenting about the whales, Jose called out 'WHALE!!!' just in time for us all to see a juvenile humpback breach not far from where we were anchored. We watched the whale move off through the channel. The food served was fantastic and plentiful. The sashimi was spectacular! The remaining of the fish was taken home by our captain and mate making sure that the whole fish was going to be enjoyed. (50lbs is a lot of fish to eat!!) On our traverse back, Miguel had to navigate between 2 different storm systems and choppy waters to make it back safely. I was super impressed with his skills and confidence. He communicated with us and warned us about our ride back being a little 'bouncy'. He was so good at knowing the waters and the skies that we managed to make our way through some scary looking skies without getting wet from the rain, and the ride was a lot of fun. We did choose to skip snorkel number 2 in order to get back before getting caught in the storms. I always felt safe and never doubted Miguel at all. This was the highlight of our trip for sure! The scenery, the fun, the relaxation, the fishing and the tour was perfect! There were 3 of us on this charter... and worth every single penny!!

Fue un día de ensueño!! Fui con mi familia y dos sobrinos a pescar (excelente) y sacamos comida de toda la semana!! La pasamos espectacular!!

What a great day! We saw whales and more whales, beautiful islands and had an amazing time. Captain Miguel was knowledgeable and easy going. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen. I did. It hurts.