Starfish Beach

Playa Estrella sits round the corner from Boca del Drago at the northwestern end of Isla Colón, a shallow bay so sheltered that the water barely moves, and on its sandy floor sit cushion sea stars, thick orange five-armed animals up to thirty centimetres across, in numbers that gave the beach its name. Because the water is knee deep you can walk out among them, which is exactly the problem: lifting a sea star out of the water suffocates it, and the population has fallen noticeably as visitor numbers have grown. Signs now ask people not to touch them at all, which is the correct answer.

What you actually see

• The cushion sea stars - orange, thick and up to thirty centimetres across.
• The shallow bay - knee-deep and almost still.
• Boca del Drago - the beach and boat landing round the point.
• The road across the island - through forest from Bocas Town.

When to go

February to April and September to October are the driest. Weekdays and early mornings are quieter; boat tours arrive in the middle of the day and the bay fills. Sea star numbers are lower than they were and vary through the year.

Honest expectations

Do not lift the sea stars out of the water: they cannot breathe in air and handling has measurably reduced the population here. Numbers are well down on what the photographs show. The bay is shallow and gets crowded with tour boats. Facilities are a handful of beach restaurants and little else.

Nearby

Boca del Drago is round the point; Bocas Town is 40 minutes east.