Diving & Snorkeling in Panamá

Discover the magical and incredible Panamanian marine world while snorkeling and diving. Diverse marine wildlife and beautiful sights await you in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. You don’t have to choose between the coasts on your vacation. If you so wish, you can dive or snorkel off the Caribbean and Pacific on the same day; each offers unique experiences not found in the other. With warm temperatures that rarely fall below 24C/75.2F and often reach 30C/86F. Here are the top snorkeling and diving spots in Panamá.

Woman snorkeling in the crystal waters of Granito de Oro Island in Coiba

Discover The Treasure Behind Pacific Coast of Veraguas

The Coiba National Park located on the Pacific coast in the Gulf of Chiriqui is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, totaling 98,228.25 km² (about 37,916 mi²).

Panama’s Coiba Ridge is a chain of submarine mountains considered exceptional geological formations with high biodiversity, which is why the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park resides on the same marine corridor as the Galapagos Islands, offering more than 40 authorized sustainable diving spots. The park is only accessible by boat. The quickest ride is a journey of an hour and 15 minutes from Santa Catalina in the Veraguas province. You’ll need a permit, which you can obtain with the assistance of tour operators offering diving and snorkeling tours.

Featuring crystal clear and warm waters inhabited by hawksbill turtles, white-tip reef sharks, and a myriad of brightly-hued fish, the protected park consists of 38 islands, including Coiba Island (Panama’s largest island) and the surrounding areas in the Gulf. Before its national park designation, it served as a penal colony. Access to the island was restricted, which allowed wildlife to flourish.

Some reefs around the park are over 5,000 years old, including the Bahia Damas Reef, making Coiba a world-class diving destination. The Bahia Damas Reef is the largest of its kind on the western coastline of the American continent and the second-largest in the Eastern Pacific. The waters are teeming with 760 species of fish, including the largest fish in the world, the whale shark that can measure up to 20m / 65ft, 33 species of sharks and rays, and over 20 species of marine mammals, like the humpback whale.

Comrades on a diving adventure, documenting the diverse ecosystem within the shallow-water coral reefs.

Gems in The Gulf of Chiriqui

Besides Coiba National Park, the Gulf of Chiriqui in the Pacific Ocean is home to other world-class snorkeling and diving spots.

The fishing town of Boca Chica in the Chiriqui province is the starting point for your journey to the Gulf of Chiriqui Marine National Park, consisting of 25 islands, including Coiba, and 19 coral reefs.

Isla Secas is one of the islands and another prime diving spot with clear visibility and blissfully warm water at all times of the day. This private island and its true turquoise water is a part of an underwater volcanic mountain range, making this a true once-in-a-lifetime experience. While there, you may encounter manta rays, reef sharks, barracudas, and needlefish. And you can’t visit the Gulf without diving off the white sand beaches of Isla Parida.

Beautiful gray angelfish swimming near a coral reef. The fish has a distinctive yellow stripe on its head and a black stripe on its body.

Dive Into The Waters of Bocas del Toro

On the flip side of the Caribbean, the archipelago of Bocas del Toro offers diverse and easily accessible snorkeling and diving. The Caribbean side of Panama is home to a more tranquil diving experience perfect for beginners or those who want to slow down and fully immerse in the experience.

From corals and sponges to starfish and shipwrecks, it’s home to a plethora of marine species, such as southern rays, spotted eagle rays, lobsters, parrotfish, barracudas, squid, starfish, crabs, seahorses, and pufferfish. If luck is on your side, you may spot nurse sharks and manta rays. There are nine major islands including Isla Bastimentos, Isla Colon, and Isla Carenero, and thousands of islets and cays. Bocas del Toro boasts six different dive spots between Isla Colon and Bastimentos alone. These often have shallow waters with almost no currents, excellent for beginners.

Woman getting ready to dive in Playa Huertas Reef in Portobelo Colon province

Explore The Depths of Portobelo

Head over to the province of Colon on the Caribbean side for sights you won’t see elsewhere. Close to Panama City, in Portobelo, you can explore Drake Island, Buenaventura Island, One Rock, and Tres Hermanas.

One of Panama’s most popular diving sites is Drake Island due to its exotic marine life and even more engaging story. The island is named after Sir Francis Drake, a 16th-century sailor and navigator, who was buried at sea in 1596. His coffin is believed to be somewhere off the Panamanian coast near where ship remains were discovered in Portobelo Bay. Drake Island just so happens to have one of the most colorful reefs in the area with an abundant amount of sponges and colorful fish.

Another popular diving site, Buenaventura Island, is home to the wreck of a B-45 airplane in 21.3 m (70 ft) of water. This site has three dive sites to choose from: One Rock – a great place to find sand sharks – and for experienced divers – Salmedina and Tres Hermanas with deeper and with stronger currents.

Woman snorkeling on a crystalline beaches of Archipelago Las Perlas

Marine Life in The Pearl Islands

Located on the Pacific side of Panamá, in the Bay of Panamá, is the Pearl Islands archipelago, consisting of over 200 islands and islets. Most of the islands are uninhabited, so there are a lot of beaches, shore lines, and shallow waters perfect for scuba diving.

The archipelago gets its name from the Spanish Conquistadors, who found a lot of pearls there.

The opportunities for diving are diverse and many islands shield the waters from the ocean, which makes them better for a calmer dive. Any diving site that faces the ocean will have rougher waves; the currents from the ocean stir things up and make for great drift sites. Most days you can wade into the azure water, pop on a mask, and see schools of tropical fish and Manta rays swim by.

The Pachequilla Island is one of the top diving spots in the archipelago. There are volcanic rocks, warm water, and many types of fish. Its incredible caves and white-tip sharks draw divers from all skill levels to the island. Another popular diving spot in the Pearl Islands is Pacheca Island. Over at Isla Contadora, you can join a snorkeling tour or attend scuba diving classes.

Where to Dive en Panamá

Diving, Coral Cay Bocas del Toro Province, Panamá