Rougher waters in Atlantic vs. Caribbean?

[Stevero2]

We're considering the Zuiderdam to Panama and Costa Rica in December. are we likely to encounter rougher waters there becauuse they are in the Atlantic than we would in the Caribbean?

[paul929207]

Unless you happen to run into a storm, the Atlantic is generally rougher.

[cb at sea]

But, it can be rough anywhere, at any time, depending on what Mother Nature decides! High winds can cause rough seas, as can a frontal system or even a "normal" (non-hurricane) storm.

[thinfool]

We're considering the Zuiderdam to Panama and Costa Rica in December. are we likely to encounter rougher waters there becauuse they are in the Atlantic than we would in the Caribbean?

 

Geez...CNN and Fox News missed this....Panama and Costa Rica have been moved from the Caribbean to the Atlantic!

 

(or did you mean the Pacific, perhaps??) :)

[DoniaG]

We're considering the Zuiderdam to Panama and Costa Rica in December. are we likely to encounter rougher waters there becauuse they are in the Atlantic than we would in the Caribbean?

 

Unless you're sailing out of a port north of Miami/Fort Lauderdale, you won't see much of the Atlantic - just the Pacific and Caribbean - if you're doing a trans-canal. We sailed from New York to Bermuda a few years ago (definitely Atlantic) and the Gulf Stream made it noticeably rougher - but not miserably so. I've never sailed the west coast of Central America/Mexico, so I don't know about the Pacific.

 

And don't worry about storms - hurricane season is officially over at the beginning of December. Actually, they're pretty rare after about mid-October.

 

Have a great trip - a trans-canal cruise is my next goal!

 

Donia