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The hot equatorial sun had just begun to rise above the skyline of Panama City as the Crystal Symphony approached the Bridge of the Americas to begin its nine-hour transit of the Panama Canal.

We had finally arrived at “The Big Ditch,” that incredible feat of engineering bravado that cost more than $400 million and 30,000 lives to build, and still amazes people from around the world nearly 100 years after it was completed in 1914.

It was only 6:45 am, but wide-eyed passengers were already lining the outside decks to get a glimpse of the historic canal as we sailed along the seven-mile- approach channel from the Pacific Ocean to our first set of locks at Miraflores. By now, Gail and I had already secured two front-row seats at the bow where we planned to spend the entire day as our ship sailed 50 miles through the continental divide past the emerald green jungles of central Panama on our way to the Atlantic Ocean.

At Miraflores a gigantic pair of locks stood ready to raise our 51,000-ton ship from the level of the Pacific Ocean to the height of Lake Miraflores some 54 feet above us. Standing 82 feet high and weighing 745 tons, the gates in the lower Miraflores locks are the largest and heaviest in the canal because they must contend with high tides from the Pacific Ocean.

As we entered the locks, two men aboard a small rowboat brought rope lines to our ship that they connected to six electric locomotives or “mules” that run on tracks alongside both sides of locks. While ships use their own power to enter and exit a lock, the mules help guide the vessels along and keep them from moving as the locks add or release water. Ironically, while the Panama Canal uses some of the most advanced technology in the world, the rowboats are still used to bring lines to the ships because they are considered the safest and most reliable method of doing so in this humid and hot equatorial climate.

Once clear of the second lock, our ship sailed 1.5 miles across tiny Lake Miraflores to a single lock at Pedro Miguel where we were raised another 31 feet to the level of Gaillard Cut. The digging of the Gaillard (or Culebra Cut as it was originally know)  was the most difficult task in the construction of the Canal because this nine-mile stretch crosses the Continental Divide through rocky hills that once rose more than 400 feet above sea level.

To add to the challenge, the hills were continuously plagued with mud slides that in 1907 alone dumped half a million cubic yards of rock and earth back into the Cut. However, the herculean effort to excavate a 300-foot-wide and 40-foot deep trench across the Divide eventually succeeded, although the cost was huge in both lives and dollars (about $10 million a mile).

After leaving the Pedro Miguel Locks, we sailed along Gaillard Cut past its two most famous peaks — Contractor’s Hill on our port and Gold Hill to our starboard. Gold Hill was given its name by the original French Canal Company that claimed in a prospectus that “this mountain is full of gold and it is believed that the ore from this place alone will be worth more than will be the total cost of the canal construction.” Of course, there was nothing in the hill except rock and dirt, much of which was eventually cut away to prevent further mudslides.

It took an hour for the Crystal Symphony to reach the end of Gaillard Cut at Chagres Crossing, where the Chagres River first enters the canal. Seasonal downpours from the Caribbean supply the lakes and rivers of Panama with the water needed to operate the canal, most of which enters the canal system through the Chagres River. Before the river was dammed, it used to flow exclusively into the Atlantic, but now empties into both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – the only river in the world to do so.

From Chagres Crossing we sailed along Gamboa Reach into Gatun Lake, which was created by damming the Chagres River near its mouth at the Caribbean Sea so it would overflow its banks and provide water to operate the canal’s locks. Some 52-million gallons of water are used to raise and lower each large ship as it transits the canal, all of which flows through the locks by force of gravity.

The largest man-made lake in the world when it was created, Lake Gatun is a beautiful repository of lush islands, tropical rainforests and rare fauna that provide some of the prettiest scenery in the canal. It’s also where we saw several ships going in the opposite direction, including several container ships and Regent Cruise Line’s Mariner.

After a couple of hours in Lake Gatun, we reached the final set of locks that would lower us 85 feet to sea-level and a channel that  flows into the Caribbean Sea. As we watched the ships in front of us transit each of the three locks at Gatun, we were amazed at how large the locks actually are –1,000-feet long, 110-feet wide and with gates that are 65-feet wide and seven-feet thick. And the canal’s locks can handle ships with a draft of up to 40 feet.

As we sailed out of the Gatun Locks towards Limon Bay to complete our nine-hour transit, we finally left our seats completely amazed at what we had seen. Nearly 100 years after it was completed, “The Big Ditch” remains an engineering marvel and a vivid reminder of what imagination and persistence can accomplish.

(To read about the history of the Panama Canal construction, please check my posting of November 19, 2009 called “The Path Between the Seas.”)

The building of the Panama Canal was an epic undertaking that resulted in an awesome feat of engineering bravado and the creation of one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Since the days of Columbus, explorers had been seeking a navigable passage through Central America that would speed the transit of goods and bypass the treacherous seas around the horn of South America.  In fact, as many as nine routes in Central America were considered for the canal, including one through Nicaragua.

However, the Isthmus of Panama was selected as the most practical route, and the first attempt to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans began in 1879. French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who had successfully built the Suez Canal in Egypt a decade earlier, was selected to head the project. He decided to build a trench across Panama rather than use a series of locks to link the coasts. The ambitious plan ended in failure and financial ruin for everyone connected with the project.

In 1902 the United States revived the canal dream by purchasing France’s holdings in Panama which declared independence from Colombia a year later. By 1906 plans were ready and thousands of workers begin creating one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, cutting through the continental divide, and building several sets of spectacular locks at both ends of the canal. Despite dense jungle, mud slides, searing heat, and malaria, the 50-mile (85 km) canal was eventually completed 8 years later, shaving 9,000 miles and 10 days from the route around Cape Horn at the end of South America.

Nearly 100 years after the Ancon became the first ship to officially cross the Panama Canal on August 15, 1914 “The Path Between the Seas” still stands as an engineering marvel that can best be appreciated by sailing through it. Most major cruise lines offer Panama voyages, with some ships offering a full transit of the Canal from one coast to the other, and others running partial transits from Florida through the first set of locks into Gatun Lake and back again.

The main season for Panama Canal cruises runs from September to May, and ships typically depart from Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Acapulco, San Diego and Los Angeles. Cruises usually range in length from 10 to 21 nights, with longer voyages offering a full transit.

On a voyage from the Atlantic to the Pacific (or vice-versa), the highlights of a full Canal crossing include:

* Entering the gigantic Gatun Locks from Limon bay where mechanical “mules” tow ships through a series of 3 locks and up to some 85 feet (26 metres) above sea level.

* Sailing across Gatun Lake, one of the largest artificial bodies of water in the world.

* Navigating the Culebra Cut (also known as Gaillard Cut), a narrow 8-mile (13 km) long section of water that cuts through rock and shale on its way across the continental divide. This is the very line on which every drop of water stands an equal chance of flowing into one ocean or another.

* Passing by Gold Hill, the highest point along the canal at 662 feet (202 metres) above sea level. On the north side of the embankment, there’s a brass and marble monument which commemorates the 30,000 workers who lost their lives building the canal.

* Transiting the Pedro Miguel Locks at the southern end of Culebra Cut where ships are lowered 31 feet (9.5 metres) to Miraflores Lake.

* Entering the Miraflores Locks for the final two steps down to sea level. These gates are the tallest in the world because of the extreme tidal variations of the Pacific Ocean. In fact, the last gate is eight storeys high and weighs 730 tons.

* Sailing under the mile-long Bridge of the Americas that straddles the Panama Canal at the entrance to the Pacific Ocean.  

The Panama Canal currently has two sets of locks so that two ships can sail through at the same time. However, work has begun on building a third set of locks to increase both the size of ship that can transit the locks, and the amount of tonnage the canal can carry each year. When the new locks are completed in 2014, it will increase the canal’s capacity to some 600 million tons of shipping per year.

The best way to enjoy a crossing is to learn a few things about the Canal before doing a transit. There are several short guide books about the Canal, including one called “Guide to the Panama Canal” from Ediciones Balboa. For a more in-depth history, my favorite book about the Canal is “The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough. There’s also a great 60-minute DVD about the canal that was produced by NOVA and the Public Broadcasting System and was written and narrated by Mr. McCullough.  Failing that, there are always educational lectures during a canal cruise that passengers can attend in advance of their transit.

But whatever you do, make sure you know something about the Canal and its history before you cruise through it. Otherwise, one of the world’s greatest feats of engineering bravado may appear to be nothing more than a big ditch.