Panama Diving?

[CuriousRambler]

I've got a buddy who's been living in Panama on and off for a few years. He's working as a helicopter pilot and constantly invites me down to visit. I'm tempted for countless other reasons, but does anyone know of any good diving in Panama?

 

[battles2a5]

Coiba park in the Pacific is suppose to be some of the best diving in the world. It's on the Pacific side and I think you need a liveaboard to get there. You can also do the San Blas islands and Portobello out of Panama City (as well as dives in the lakes of the canal). Bocas del Toro is pretty cool on the Caribbean side. Overall, I was very impressed w/ Panama. Diving pretty cool, but the country was amazing. Great people, great food, very safe, great cities, and surprisingly good infrastructure.

 

[cappyjon431]

Coiba Island on the Pacific side can be reached by two operators out of Santa catalina: ScubaCoiba and Coiba Dive Center. It is also visited by the liveaboard Yemala. Coiba is known for big critters and somewhat difficult diving conditions (you should be fairly experienced).

Bocas del Toro offers very easy reef diving, depths average about 45 feet max, no current, and flat calm sea conditions on the inside reefs. Visibility averages about 40 feet, but can decline with heavy rainfall. The Smithsonian just did a survey of our reefs in Bocas and we have about 90 species of coral, 140 species of tropical fish, and about 200 species of non-coral invertebrates (sponge, crab, lobster, shrimp, octopus, squid, sea cucumber, etc.). If you can make it to Bocas in September or October (our slow season, but interestingly the best time of year to dive) you can access the outside reefs, where you can see bigger critters, caves, swim-throughs, pinnacles, etc.

 

[cdarroch]

cappyjon, you beat me to it!

 

[HerraduraDivers]

About Coiba:

Coiba can be reached from Santa Catalina by a 1 hour boatride.
There are 2 Dive operators; Coiba Dive Center and Scuba Coiba
I dove always with Glen and Julie from Coiba Dive Center and i will dive again with them.

There is also a Liveaboard abut i have no experience with them.

There are 2 dive areas on Coiba:
- the channel between Coiba and the mainland
- the various, small islands westerly and northerly of Coiba.

Sadly i never dove the "outside" of Coiba but i heard that it must be VERY exiting,
especialy the small islands but there can be a bit rough conditions.

Diving the inside of Coiba is always a wonderful experience with lot's of surprises.
Turtles and white tip sharks are normal, frogfishes and harlekin shrimps also,
it is a excelent location to photograph the critters of the central pacific.
The usually calm waters due his protected position make the various dive sites there ideal
for beginners and people suffering long boat rides.

Best regards

Chris Karrer

 

[njones259]

Dove with scuba coiba for a week in may.very good dive operation with good equipment and dive masters.Did 10 dives at coiba and several local dives in Santa Catalina.Some excellent world class dives probably not good for new divers but there are plenty of easy dives.I took my 11 year old grandson who has about 60 dives and he had no problems.We saw humpback whale, giant mantas,sharks,dolphins everyday.Also encountered sharks on all coiba dives and saw 1 hammerhead.
I plan on going back in january with a few friends and diving the outside sites at coiba.Herbie the owner of scuba coiba told me there are some great sites for advanced divers and january is the best month for diving coiba.

 

[naga]

Hey cappyjon,

What's the easiest way to get to BDT from Panama city?

Sounds like fun up there...

gracias..

 

[cappyjon431]

Hey cappyjon,

What's the easiest way to get to BDT from Panama city?

Sounds like fun up there...

gracias..

It is definitely a blast. Good diving, beautiful topside scenery, great night life. Check out BOCAS DEL TORO - Ecotourism in this Panama Caribbean region for more info on the area. PM me if you have specific questions on lodging, etc.

Best way (quickest, one hour) is flying either AirPanama or Aeroperlas from Albrook Airport (smaller, regional airport in Panama city) to Bocas, about $80+tax each way. For the adventurous, bus from Panama City to Almirante (7-8 hours, $28) and ferry or water taxi to Bocas Town ($4).

 

[Uncle J.J.]

I am a pretty new diver but had the opportunity to dive the portobello area last november when visiting Panama for a wedding. I dove with Panama Divers owner Clay Jorgensen. Clay and all of his staff were fantastic. Clay's girlfriend cooks a mean lunch as well. There are rustic quarters available at the dive site or you can stay in Panama city and Clay will send a guy to pick you up. Very casual atmosphere and fantastic, virgin diving with incredible visibility. I can't wait to go back. If you go down to dive the Pacific side I strongly suggest getting a room on the canal and setting a few days aside for diving with Clay on the carribean side. Have fun.

Uncle J.J.

 

[cappyjon431]

I am a pretty new diver but had the opportunity to dive the portobello area last november when visiting Panama for a wedding. I dove with Panama Divers owner Clay Jorgensen. Clay and all of his staff were fantastic. Clay's girlfriend cooks a mean lunch as well. There are rustic quarters available at the dive site or you can stay in Panama city and Clay will send a guy to pick you up. Very casual atmosphere and fantastic, virgin diving with incredible visibility. I can't wait to go back. If you go down to dive the Pacific side I strongly suggest getting a room on the canal and setting a few days aside for diving with Clay on the carribean side. Have fun.

Uncle J.J.

I'll be in Panama City next month and would love to dive around Portobello for a couple of days. I have heard mixed reviews on the diving, but want to see for myself. When you say "virgin diving with incredible visibility," approximately what type of visibility can I expect (in feet)?