The Guna people have navigated the San Blas Islands in handcrafted dugout canoes for centuries, and these vessels remain central to daily life across the archipelago. Known as ulus, they are used for fishing, for traveling between islands, and for ferrying goods across the channels. The Guna have maintained a remarkable degree of political and cultural autonomy within Panama, and traditional practices — including the building and use of these canoes — are actively preserved as part of that identity.

The light in this scene is truest between December and April, when the dry season keeps the sky clear and the water at its most transparent.