Culebra Cut

The Culebra Cut is the narrowest part of the Canal, and measures 12.7 kilometers (approximately 8 miles) long. The entire Canal measures about 48 miles, so this cut is about 1/6 the entire length of the Canal.

Calebra Cut

The Calebra Cut segment was excavated thru rock and limestone of the Continental Divide of the Isthmus of Panama.  The water level at this point is about 85 feet above sea level.  One of the great difficulties in this part of the construction was landslides.

Traffic from Opposite Direction

This was one of the few times that we saw any Canal traffic traveling in the opposite direction.  I’m not certain why the traffic seemed to be traveling in the same direction as us, but there you have it!  This does give us a good perspective about how narrow the cut was at this point.

Dredging Operations

One of the things that goes on constantly is a dredging operation to keep the Calebra Cut deep enough for ships to pass thru.  The right of the image reflects the area where the material dredged up was deposited. 

Natural Shoreline of the Calebra Cut

Again, I was once again amazed at how natural the scenery was all along the Canal Zone.  What a peaceful view!

Enjoy!