🇵🇦Snorkeling, Freediving, and Scuba in Panama
Quick Facts
- • Best season: Year-round (varies by region)
- • Typical visibility: 10-30m depending on location
- • Entry types: Shore diving, Boat diving
- • Highlights: Explore Panama's underwater world
Welcome to the ultimate guide for snorkeling, freediving, and scuba diving in Panama. With 6 documented dive spots across 7 regions, Panama offers diverse underwater experiences for all skill levels. From vibrant coral reefs to mysterious wrecks, from shallow snorkeling bays to deep freediving drops, discover what makes Panama a must-visit destination for underwater enthusiasts. Our community-driven platform provides real-time conditions, detailed spot information, and local insights to help you plan your perfect diving adventure.
Regions in Panama (7)
Caribbean Sea
sea
North Pacific Ocean
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Tropical East Pacific
province
Tropical Northwestern Atlantic
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Nicoya
ecoregion
Panama Bight
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Southwestern Caribbean
ecoregion
Dive Spots in Panama (6)
Don Juan
Don Juan is a suitable dive site for beginners and those looking to build confidence in their diving skills. The area features expansive sandy sections on both sides of the reef, minimizing the risk of coral damage. Divers can enjoy a vibrant view of the surrounding reef life. The site is home to colorful snappers and a significant school of small bigeye jacks, making it an engaging experience for divers. The entry to the site is from the shore, providing easy access for divers.
7.6358, -81.7133
Frijoles
Frijoles offers a dive that begins at approximately 10 meters, where divers can choose to explore the shallow reef or venture along the gravel-covered sand bottom leading to the deeper reef, which exceeds 25 meters. The underwater landscape is characterized by large boulders that create an elongated reef structure. Marine life is abundant, featuring a variety of colorful reef fish, schools of blue spotted and big eye jacks, and occasional sightings of barracudas, sharks, and turtles.
7.6411, -81.7306
Iglesia
Iglesia offers divers the opportunity to explore depths ranging from 12 meters to 30 meters. The site features a variety of separate rock formations interconnected by sandy areas, providing diverse diving experiences in both shallow and deeper waters. Marine life commonly observed here includes reef sharks, turtles, lobsters, and large schools of big eye jacks, as well as snapper, machetes, spadefish, barracudas, scorpion fish, frogfish, and even seahorses.
7.6473, -81.6898
Isla Frijoles
Isla Frijoles is a dive site characterized by its proximity to an island, which is visible from the dive entry point. Divers can navigate around the site either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the current, while exploring the sandy bottom. The marine life includes various species such as sharks, schools of snappers, machetes, and jacks. Additionally, divers should be attentive to the reef, where scorpionfish and frogfish can occasionally be spotted.
7.6448, -81.7196
Jose Pobre Caverns
Jose Pobre Caverns features a series of channels that lead to various caverns, which open into central pools within the reef structure. The anchoring point is located in depths ranging from 35 to 40 feet. Marine life observed in this area includes yellowtail snapper and damselfish, alongside a variety of corals such as rope coral, black coral, and fan coral.
9.5969, -79.6439
Mali - Mali
Mali is characterized by an underwater mountain with a triangular shape, starting at a depth of 13 meters. The top of the reef is submerged during high tide, making it less visible. Divers can explore the area around the reef, where they may encounter various marine life including reef sharks, turtles, seahorses, frogfish, moray eels, snappers, and jacks. Currents should be assessed before diving to ensure safety.
7.6539, -81.7003