Panama Canal cross-section, computer artwork. This shows the locks that ships use to cross the Isthmus of Darien, the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. From left to right (north to south), the sections are: the Caribbean Sea, the three Gatun Locks, Gatun Lake (26 metres above sea level), the Pedro Miguel Locks, Miraflores Lake, the Miraflores Locks, and the Pacific Ocean. The total distance is just over 77 kilometres.