Ships take between eight and ten hours to cross the Canal. Entering from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, vessels have to sail from Limon Bay, move past the Cristobal tide breaker down the 500-foot-long sailable portion and running through mangroves that jut out above sea level.

The Gatun Lake, of 164 square miles, is one of the world's largest ponds and was formed by a land dam dug across the Changres River's watercourse, next to the Gatun Sluiceways. The dam's two sections and the outlet are 8,202 feet long combined. The dam is nearly 2,625 feet wide in the bottom. The Gaillard Cutaway was first named Culebra Cutaway during the building process. It was later on named after the engineer who led the cutting during the construction of the canal. This stretch is 8.5 miles long and was mostly dug on limestone and volcanic materials.

. Since its grand opening in 1914, more than 700,000 ships have crossed the canal. This achievement is owed to a magnificent and professional staff that works there.