Diving in Panamá!

[cappyjon431]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the advice. So far, we have decided on 6 days (5 nights) in Bocas and have a couple hotel options we are looking into (Thanks CappyJon!!).

My next task is to find a nice place in Portobelo. Someone on trip advisor recommended this "Bananas resort" on Isla Grande, but it seems a little isolated and pricey. I would like to have a nicer place so I can have family come visit from Colón on Christmas, but more importantly, I want to be close to dive shops. Any recommendation for a dive center in Portobelo?

Any more advice you may have would be greatly appreciated?

Panama Dive Adventures dives out of Portobelo on weekends, and while I have not dived with them personally their staff has dived here with us in Bocas on numerous occasions and they seem like a friendly, professional group. I don't have contact info handy, but you can try googling Panama Dive Adventures. They could probably steer you to a good hotel in Portobelo as well.

 

[gb_williams]

Panama Dive Adventures dives out of Portobelo on weekends, and while I have not dived with them personally their staff has dived here with us in Bocas on numerous occasions and they seem like a friendly, professional group. I don't have contact info handy, but you can try googling Panama Dive Adventures. They could probably steer you to a good hotel in Portobelo as well.

I recommend Scubapanama. (Check their website at ENGLISH.) Their lodging is much better than Panama Dive Adventures. Somewhat rustic, but definitely much better. Food is better, too, and they're much closer to outside restaurants as well. I have dove with them on numerous occasions. While they're not quite the caliber of Bocas Water Sports, they are definitely very good. I've never been disappointed with them.

Isla Grande is going to be another 45 minutes to 1 hour further East of Portobelo. It has been 5 years since I last dove there. At the time, Bananas didn't have their own shop, they were using Andres Hernandez' "Dive Panama." I don't know if that has changed or not. The diving at Isla Grande was no better or worse than Portobelo. A very reasonable place to stay on Isla Grande is Cabanas Cholitas. Again, like Portobelo, the cabanas are inexpensive but rustic. And, the food is great!

 

[divemaster86]

I recommend Scubapanama. (Check their website at ENGLISH.) Their lodging is much better than Panama Dive Adventures. Somewhat rustic, but definitely much better. Food is better, too, and they're much closer to outside restaurants as well. I have dove with them on numerous occasions. While they're not quite the caliber of Bocas Water Sports, they are definitely very good. I've never been disappointed with them.

Isla Grande is going to be another 45 minutes to 1 hour further East of Portobelo. It has been 5 years since I last dove there. At the time, Bananas didn't have their own shop, they were using Andres Hernandez' "Dive Panama." I don't know if that has changed or not. The diving at Isla Grande was no better or worse than Portobelo. A very reasonable place to stay on Isla Grande is Cabanas Cholitas. Again, like Portobelo, the cabanas are inexpensive but rustic. And, the food is great!

Thanks for the tips. I think Isla Grande may be a little far, and if the diving is about the same, I would rather be in Portobelo. I have emailed Scubapanama, but have not heard back. I'll try back in Spanish in a few days if I don't get a response There is also this Coco Plum Eco-Lounge (Coco Plum ::: Eco-Lodge ::: Beach Resort :::). Has anyone tried that?

Also, has anyone dove the train wreck in Lake Gatún? If so, is it worth it?

Thanks again Can't wait to get in the water!!

 

[gb_williams]

There is also this Coco Plum Eco-Lounge. Has anyone tried that?

I have eaten dinner there, but have not stayed there. The food was good. They're very close to Scubapanama, and a little closer to town.

 

[masterlucas3]

Im going to stay at the breezes on the pacific side, about an hour north of panama city, is there any dive operators around their, google didnt help much and theres not a dive operator on the resort. 1 other question, some of the posts were about how safe the areas are? I didnt really understand, are you guys talking about the diving or like crime and stuff like that?

 

[gb_williams]

Im going to stay at the breezes on the pacific side, about an hour north of panama city, is there any dive operators around their, google didnt help much and theres not a dive operator on the resort. 1 other question, some of the posts were about how safe the areas are? I didnt really understand, are you guys talking about the diving or like crime and stuff like that?

I'm afraid you're about two hours too far and four hours not far enough. Coiba Island is the most well known dive area on the Pacific side. But, you'll have to travel further west -- to Santiago and then down to Santa Catalina -- to get there. And, then, you're still at least a couple hours by boat to the dive sites. In the other direction, back east to Panama City, there are the Islas Perlas and Tabago in the Bay of Panama. To my knowledge, there are no dive operators near Breezes.

As for safety and safe areas, we were referring to the safety of traveling around Panama, not the diving. Just like anywhere, there are areas you will want to avoid, like nearly all of Colón and walking around Casco Viejo after dark.

 

[masterlucas3]

thanks for the info, so from panama city to the breezes is pretty safe?

 

[gb_williams]

thanks for the info, so from panama city to the breezes is pretty safe?

You should have no problems on the Panamerican Highway. How are you traveling?

 

[masterlucas3]

i guess by shuttle, airport transfer comes with the package

 

[gb_williams]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the advice. So far, we have decided on 6 days (5 nights) in Bocas and have a couple hotel options we are looking into (Thanks CappyJon!!).

Any more advice you may have would be greatly appreciated?

I'm going to assume that you'll be flying to Bocas. That being the case, you'll have 24 hours of no dive time to kill before your flight. Here are a couple of recommendations:

If you like Thai food, go to Island Time on Bastimentos for lunch. It is absolutely wonderful! Best meal we had in Bocas. You'll have to take a water taxi to the town of Bastimentos. When you get off, go to the pay phone on the street and call Island Time. (There's a sign for it at the pay phone.) Then, hike up the hill into the rain forest and have a very delightful afternoon that is literally "made to order." Do not go to Bastimentos at night, though. After dark, it turns into Colón.

Another option is to go snorkeling in the bay on the south side of Bastimentos. There is a good restaurant on pilings over the water, right next to where you snorkel. But, beware -- it's a very popular place. If you don't get your lunch order in first, you can wait for well over an hour to get your lunch. (But, unlike Riptide Restaurant, you will get it.) The best bet, hire your own water taxi to take you snorkeling for the morning, then to lunch, then to Red Frog Beach for swimming and body surfing (if the water is safe -- very bad undertow at times). We paid $15 or $20 for the day a few years ago.

About Riptide -- it's a great bar converted from a shrimp boat. But, the food service, the management and the cooking staff are horrible. Go somewhere else to eat.