Scuba Diving Panama – Some of the Best in the World!
1. Scuba Diving Panama – Some of the Best in the World!
Published by Panama Simple, July 2, 2013 | By Dennis Smith
Panama has found its place on the world Scuba circuit for many reasons. It offers year-round diving.
You can dive in the Caribbean and the Pacific on the same day without a charter jet. Scuba Divers will
find much to see in Panama’s waters. On the Pacific side you can find black marlin, dolphins, jewfish,
sharks and whales, along with volcanic formations. On the Caribbean side, there are 75% of the
world’s types of coral reefs with inhabitants too numerous to name in this post.
As you would expect, there many scuba diving spots to choose from but we would like to introduce
you to the most popular four.
Coiba (Pacific)
Coiba is part of the Pacific Pearl Island (Las Perlas) chain and is Panama’s largest island (it also a
former penal colony). Dive the rock formations to see jacks, snappers, sea turtles and at certain times
of the year, hammerhead and whale sharks, and humpback whales.
Bocas del Toro (Caribbean)
The Bocas del Toro Archipelago consists of five major islands. Bocas waters contain 95% of the
Caribbean coral species and some of the healthiest hard and soft coral species in the world. In the
waters, you will see crab, lobster, moray eels, rays, seahorses, starfish and more. Most divers prefer
to go to the Bastimentos National Marine Park (second largest in the world) and dive in its waters or
off of its two secluded Zapatilla Islands.
Portobelo (Caribbean)
2. Diving in the the Portobelo Underwater National Park is for those who like seeing shipwrecks.
Portobelo was a Spanish port where gold shipments left for Spain. This brought pirates and
buccaneers and many of their scuttled ships are still visible, along with a sunken cargo ship and a
military plane. Portobelo bay contains coral walls, reefs and rock gardens which are full of sea
creatures.
Panama Canal (Freshwater)
It may surprise you that at certain times you can dive certain parts of the Panama Canal and the Gatun
Lake that is part of it. In the lake, you will find remains of a decade-old train that remains from the
French attempt to build the Canal. There are also dredges, machinery, a villiage and wagons that
were submerged when Gatun Lake was flooded to permit Canal transit. There is also the Byron
shipwreck.
Now you know what you may see, in what environment do you see it?
Air temperatures average in the low 80s year round. The rainy season is from May to November but
June through December is generally considered best for diving. Depending on the site, weather and
time of year, water visibility varies from 50 to 100 feet on both sides of the Panamanian isthmus.