BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA - DIVE SITES

[Captain Lisa Longshadow]

Friends,

For the 1ST TIME, I’m heading to BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA with my boat to do some diving. After a few hours of research on this website and others, plus a couple of guide books, I’ve put together a list of potential dive sites below:

• CORAL CAY
• LA BUGA
• TIGER ROCK
• BOCA DEL DRAGO
• PLAYGROUND
• PUNTA CARACOL
• ZAPATILLO CAYO
• AIRPORT POINT
• THE OLD WRECK
• MANGROVE POINT
• PANDORA
• OLD MAN’S
• SACHEN
• DOLPHIN ROCK
• MACHETTE COVE
• HOSPITAL POINT NORTH
• HOSPITAL POINT SOUTH
• MYSTIC WIND
• GREEN HOUSE
• MAJAGNA
• CASABLANCA
• STR – SMITHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH
• CRAWL CAY

I only have rough map locations and few GPS coordinates. Please share any GPS coordinates so I can add them to the list.

Also, please add any sites I’ve missed…

~Captain Lisa Longshadow

 

[Captain Lisa Longshadow]

In 24 hrs since this post, there have been zero views and zero replies...sad...did I post this correctly?

Please reply...

 

[RyanT]

Your post is fine. Bocas is just not a big dive destination, so most SBers are unlikely to be familiar with the area.

 

[Captain Lisa Longshadow]

We dove yesterday!!!

• Casablanca - 42' / viz @ 15' / water temp @ 83 / lots of soft & hard corals
• Pandora - 61' / viz @ 30' / temp @ 83 / gorgeous corals, lobster, crab, the usual reef fish and a sunken ship!

We have learned that deep dive sites on the eastern side of the archipelago like Zapatillo, Machette, Bird Island and Tiger Rock are only doable during Sept/Oct due to current and swell.

 

[Vertologist]

We dove yesterday!!!

• Casablanca - 42' / viz @ 15' / water temp @ 83 / lots of soft & hard corals
• Pandora - 61' / viz @ 30' / temp @ 83 / gorgeous corals, lobster, crab, the usual reef fish and a sunken ship!

We have learned that deep dive sites on the eastern side of the archipelago like Zapatillo, Machette, Bird Island and Tiger Rock are only doable during Sept/Oct due to current and swell.

Have you done any more diving in Bocas since this? I may be in Bocas this January and would enjoy some dive outings. Any recommendations?

 

[tarzana]

Would love to know what the coral reef conditions are in Bocas del Toro. I may go in December but do not want to be disappointed. When I went to St.Croix this year I was about crying underwater with 70-80% of the hard corals DEAD! Has anyone been to Bocas in the last months?