Panama - Bocas?

[Maureen23669]

I'm finding disagreement about diving Bocas. Some say there's nothing left there. Others say it's great. We want to travel first week in April with family of 6, all divers (kids 16-25).

Airfares to Panama are much, much better than Roatan, as are room rates. Unfortunately Anthony's Key (AKR) and Roatan flights have priced us out. I've been waiting for them to drop, but we're running out of time.

1) Is Bocas worth diving 3 or 4 days?
2) Any recommendations for another Caribbean dive location that has similar offerings as AKR, without the high prices? Luxury is unimportant, but all-inclusive really helps, so we don't have to watch everything the teens and young adults are spending our money on.

Thanks!

Maureen

 

[Insta-Gator]

We'll be back from Panama on the 12th. We're only spending one day in Boca del Toro but wanted to take the opportunity to check it out. May get in some snorkeling but we're not taking our dive rigs. Remind me after the 12th and I can at least give you my impression of Bocas. Many here really like it.

 

[HerraduraDivers]

Maureen,
i just came back to Costa Rica from a 4 day trip o Bocas.
I was positive surprised that diving was not s bad as i heard and guessed and i enjoyed the relaxed cosmopolitan flair of Bocas del Toro. I made 8 dives with Bocas Water Sports and i felt in good hands and they have a great staff I definitively would dive again with them.
But you can never confront Roatan with Bocas, Roatan is circundated of extremly healthy and beautiful reefs with a viz between 60 to 90 ft. The kids would have more fun staying in Roatan directly in West End where the Party is aways on and you may find a less expensive dive shop and accommodation then AKR. There you may contact Coconut Tree Divers, directly on the beach in the middle of West End.
I made my Instructor at Subway Water Sports at Turquise Bay and they are great too, but very remote and the Turquise Bay Hotel seems to e rather expensive, but ask for a quote.


Chris

 

[gb_williams]

Bocas has its plusses and minusses. The big minus is visibility. Don't expect anything like Grand Cayman or Roatan's walls. (Although, I was at Roatan for a week in early February, and there were a couple times when the visibility as worse than Bocas.) The average vis is between 20' and 40'.

This time of year, the diving will be fairly shallow - 20' to 45'. From the first of September until mid November, the seas are calm enough that you can do much deeper dives on the outer reefs and the wall.

The big plusses about Bocas are what you come to see; coral, fish and critters. And, Bocas has a lot! You won't see much big stuff, and very few, if any, turtles. But, the variety of reef fish and critters rivals Roatan. I've seen squid, toadfish, barracuda, grunts, snappers, seahorses, crab, lobster, green and spotted morays, drums, cowfish, trunkfish -- the list goes on and on. The varieties and colors of coral are among the best I've ever seen. I'll send you a link via PM to some shots I posted on Shutterfly of my trip January 2010.

When you go, there is only one dive operator worth using: Bocas Water Sports. IMO, Jon and Stacy Schneiderman run the best dive operation in Panama. Not only do they offer the best prices, their service and their customer focus aren't equalled anywhere in the country. Their DMs are the best. It's very rare in Panama for a DM to offer you water after a dive. Or, to have a ladder handy for you to climb back into the boat. With other dive operators, you have what you bring with you and you belly it over the gunwale just like the DMs learned to do. Jon and Stacy have hired only local Panamanians as DMs, but they have instilled the standards of customer service you find at major dive resorts around the Caribbean. They've also kept the ratio of divers to DMs down to a max of 4 to 1.

I hope you enjoy Bocas.

 

[cappyjon431]

Thanks Chris and Grant for the kind words, I am glad you enjoyed your diving in Bocas with BWS. If anyone wants some excellent info on the Bocas area, check out BOCAS DEL TORO - Tourism in the Panama Caribbean region for a detailed list of dive operators, hotels, resorts, attractions, restaurants, etc.