Benthic cover data from the Galeta Island reef flat, Panama

Six parallel transects, located 2 m apart were surveyed offshore from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute laboratory on Galeta Island, Panama.Transects consisted of a 150 m line (divided into 5 x 30 m lines) extending from datum to the surf zone and 1 x 30 m reverse line extending from datum to the mangroves.Line intercept survey methods were used to indentify the benthos along each transect. This research was undertaken to characterize the benthos of the reef flat off Galeta Island, Panama.