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Diving Panama

Some of the best diving to be found in Central America can be found in the protected waters beside Panama’s Coiba Island. Divers looking for something different might want to consider diving in the Panama Canal; not only are there wrecks to explore but also all kinds of submerged equipment left by the French when they worked on the railroad many decades ago.

Panama offers great diving opportunities. In Bocas del Toro alone, you will find about 74 of the 79 known types of coral in the Caribbean, lots of colorful sponges, reef fish like the Queen, French and Grey Angels, Parrot fish, Hogfish, Triggerfish, and many more. Nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, and southern rays are often seen as well as crabs, lobsters, moray eels and less usual fish like Toadfish, Batfish, and Spotted Drums.

Best time to dive

The best diving is June through December.

Visibility

Visibility averages 50 to 100 feet.

Water temperatures

Caribbean water temperatures remain constant throughout the year in the low to mid 80s F. In the Pacific the water temperature at the surface is around the low 80s F however thermo clines are common at depth dropping the temperature to the mid 70s F.

Weather and climate

Panama has two seasons. The dry season lasts from January to mid-April and the rainy season from mid-April to December. Rainfall is heavier on the Caribbean side of the highlands, though most people live on or near the Pacific coast. Temperatures are typically hot in the lowlands (between 70 and 90 °F) and cool in the mountains (between 50 and 64 °F). The temperatuers vary little throughout the year.

Language

Spanish and English

Passport/Visa requirements

UK, Germany and Switzerland citizens and many other nationalities need only a passport to enter Panama, while people from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, USA, Venezuela and some other countries need a tourist visa or tourist card as well. Contact an embassy or consulate for current details.

Currency

Balboa – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Electrical current

110 volts, 60 cycle, U.S. standard

Capital

Panama City

General information

The Isthmus of Panama is the umbilical cord joining South and Central America. It borders Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. At its narrowest point, it is only 30 miles wide, but it has a 720-mile Caribbean coastline on its northern shore and a 1,048-mile Pacific coast to the south. The famous canal is 50 miles long and effectively divides the country into eastern and western regions.

There are hundreds of islands near the Panamanian coasts. The two major archipelagos are the San Blas and Bocas del Toro chains in the Caribbean Sea, though the best snorkeling, diving, and deep-sea fishing are to be found in the Pacific near Coiba Island and the Pearl Islands. Panama has flat coastal lowlands and two mountain chains running along its spine. The highest peak is Volcan Baru at 11,400 feet.

Panama City has numerous tourist attractions including world-class hotels and restaurants. Panama’s privileged geographic location has made it a melting pot of different cultures. Nowhere is this more evident than in the wide variety of fine restaurants available in the country. In Panama you can sample some of the best cuisine in Central America.

Map

Get a map of Panama from WorldAtlas.com.

Diving Costa Rica

Costa Rica offers some excellent diving. Costa Rica’s underwater wonders range from coastal coral reefs to offshore islands. Those varied dive spots contain diverse and beautiful marine life that includes clouds of schooling barracuda, cow-nosed rays, whale sharks, jewfish, sea horses, hawkfish, turtles, reef sharks, mantas, pilot whales, sailfish, black marlin, and many other creatures. Since Costa Rica is bordered by both the Caribbean on the East coast and the Pacific Ocean on the West coast, there are many places and different types of diving to do.

On the Caribbean coast, in the south, there are several excellent snorkeling areas. The country’s largest coastal reef is protected within Cahuita National Park, south of the town of the same name. The point at Puerto Viejo, south of Cahuita, also has a coral reef wrapped around it that makes for convenient diving. Punta Cocles and Punta Uva, two points to the south of town, have healthier coral formations with plenty of fish. Manzanillo, a small fishing village a few miles further south, also has some decent diving offshore. There are also a few good dive spots near the city of Limón, such as the water surrounding Uvita Island.

The Pacific has the country’s best diving, with less coral, but plenty of big fish. The most popular Pacific diving area is the northwest, where dive centers in Playa del Coco, Ocotal and Hermosa offer trips to several spots in the Culebra Bay and the Bat Islands(Islas Murciélagos), to the northwest, where divers often see sharks and manta rays. The dive center in Flamingo usually takes people to Santa Catalina Island, about five miles offshore, which is another good spot to see sharks and other big fish. There is good snorkeling in Curu National Wildlife Refuge, and near the beach resorts of Tambor and Montezuma. There is also usually good snorkeling off the second beach in Manuel Antonio National Park, and around the points and islands between Dominical and Marino Ballena National Park. However, the best diving off the Pacific coast is found at several underwater reefs near Caño Island, which can be explored on dive trips offered by some of the lodges in nearby Drake Bay.

Cocos Island, a Pacific national park located 330 miles southwest of the Costa Rican mainland, has the country’s best diving by far. While the Island is covered with virgin forest, the ocean that surrounds it contains abundant marine life, and the visibility is good year round. Divers at Cocos Island regularly see manta rays, dolphins, and hammerhead sharks, which sometimes gathering in schools of 30 or 40. It takes about 36 hours to reach Cocos Island, and some companies have ships that run regular dive cruises there, which last ten days and include three dives per day.

Best time to dive

The rainy season runs from May to November, with these months providing some of the best diving.

Visibility

The abundance of plankton limits the visibility from 20 to 80 feet. The best visibility in the Caribbean is from March to early May and from mid August to mid November. The best visibility and water temperatures in the Pacific Northwest are found from June to September.

Water temperatures

Water temperature from mid-May to mid-December is generally from 75 to 78 °F. From mid-December to mid-April, water temperatures vary from day to day, with thermoclines causing temperatures to dip to 70°F at depth.

Weather and climate

The outside temperature at the beaches is 85° to 90° F year-round with cooler 72 °F in the evenings. The higher elevations in the mountains, temperatures can be even cooler. The rainy season runs from May to November, with these months providing some of the best diving.

Language

Spanish

Passport/Visa requirements

Citizens of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and most European nations can visit Costa Rica for a maximum of 90 days. No visa is necessary, but you must have a valid passport. Citizens of Australia and New Zealand can enter the country without a visa and stay for 30 days. Citizens of Republic of Ireland need a visa, a valid passport and a round-trip ticket in order to enter.

Currency

Costa Rican Colon (Colones) – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Electrical current

110 volts AC, 60 cycles, the standard in the United States. However, three-pronged outlets can be scare, so it’s helpful to bring along an adapter.

Capital

San Jose

General information

Costa Rica is located in the Central America isthmus, immediately north of Panama, with ports in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and 153 highway miles between them. A small tropical country, Costa Rica lies between two oceans. This, combined with its complex mountainous topography, gives rise to an extensive variety of habitats.

Costa Rica is known for its civilized way of life. It is no exaggeration to call the country an oasis of peace. This is a fundamental part of the Costa Rican character. Costa Rica is the seat of the University for Peace as well as the Interamerican Court of Human Rights. Costa Ricans are characterized by three distinct cultural life styles; that of the peasants and farmers of the Central Valley, of the inhabitants of the plains of Guanacaste and of the Caribbean’s of the Province of Limon.

Costa Rica is the water sports meca. Its beaches, lakes, lagoons, bays, and rivers make Costa Rica a real paradise for water sports. Fishing, whitewater rafting and kayaking, surfing on the internationally famous Pavones Beach, which has the longest waves in the world, and obviously diving.

Restaurants in Costa Rica offer the tourist a wide variety of international cuisine and, for those wishing to try Costa Rican cooking, there are many places that serve typical regional dishes.

Map

Get a map of Costa Rica from WorldAtlas.com.

Diving Belize

Belize’s Blue Hole is its most famous dive spot. The Blue Hole is a sinkhole near the center of Lighthouse Reef that can be seen from the air. It’s 1,000 feet in diameter (300 m), is almost a perfect circle, and is deep blue in color. At 140 feet (43 m) there is an underwater cathedral, which is a huge underwater cave with stalactites that are 12 feet wide and suspend 20 to 60 feet from the cave ceiling and side passageways.

Belize is a preserve for the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The 185-mile long barrier reef parallels the shore from 10 to 30 miles offshore. All around the barrier reef are pristine diving locations where large grouper, manta rays, dolphins, spotted eagle rays, turtles, fish of all kinds, and over 700 coral heads live. The beauty of this barrier reef is spectacular.

Ambergris Cay is the primary dive tourism location in Belize. It is the largest of the outer islands and is a 20-minute flight or 1:15 ferry ride from the mainland. Ambergris Cay is a rustic and beautiful island with dive shacks on every beach. Dive sites off Ambergris Cay are close enough for beach diving, which allows for unlimited diving.

Best time to dive

March through August

Visibility

Visibility is often 100+ feet. The water is generally clearest outside the reef and off the atolls.

Water temperatures

Water temperature averages between 79 and 83 degrees F.

Weather and climate

Belize climate is subtropical with a brisk prevailing wind from the Caribbean Sea. Weather is very hot and humid. The rainy season is May to November and the dry season is February to May. The annual temperature averages about 80 degrees F. Winter storms may bring the temperature down to the low 60s, and it can reach the mid-90s on the mainland in the hottest part of summer. Rainfall is heaviest in the south and the jungle areas, lightest in the north and on the Cays.

Language

English, Creole, Spanish, and Mayan

Passport/Visa requirements

Valid passports for the planned length of stay and onward or return tickets are required to enter Belize. Some nationalities require visas; check with embassy office, consulate, or tourist office before traveling.

Currency

Belize dollar – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Electrical current

110/220 volts AC, 60 Hz – compatible with U.S. electronics. It is recommended to use surge protectors with sensitive equipment.

Capital

Belmopan

General information

Belize is a country located in the southeast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean coast of the Central American isthmus. It shares borders with Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west. The country consists predominantly of tropical lowland and swampy plains, though the Maya Mountains in the west rise to almost 3,000 feet. Half of the country is covered by dense jungle; the rest is farmland, scrub, and swamp. The tropical forests provide habitats for a wide range of animals, including jaguar, puma, ocelot, armadillo, tapir, and crocodile. The country also harbors keel-billed toucans, an abundance of macaws and parrots, and heron and snowy egrets. Numerous nature parks have been created in Belize and are a must see.

Map

Get a map of Belize from WorldAtlas.com

Diving Bay Islands, Honduras

The Bay Islands have little current and very calm seas. Roatan boasts 85 species of coral and over 800 species of fish. Guanaja’s dive sites run the gamut from wrecks to underwater volcanoes, and the seamounts of Utila attract great pelagics. The reefs begin in as little as 20 to 40 feet of water with drop offs to 100+ feet. Underwater canyons, caves, caverns, walls and reefs abundant with coral abound in the second largest living coral reef in the world.

Guanaja is abundant in natural beauty and great diving. There are 35 moored dive sites, featuring everything from shallow reefs to wrecks, caves, canyons, underwater volcanoes, and walls plummeting from 20 to 6,000 feet. The variety of corals, sponges, and marine life is unmatched. Turtles, eagle rays, Jew fish and hundreds of tropical fish species abound. Indigenous toadfish, octopus, and huge coral crabs are visible at night. Dolphins, whale sharks, reef sharks, black tips, and hammerheads can also be spotted.

Utila is ultra laid back and offers true barefoot living and superb diving. It is not uncommon to see schools of jacks, snappers, spadefish, and every species of grouper found in the Bay Islands at just one dive site. Look for resident hawksbill or green turtles, spotted, green and goldentail moray eels, and balloon, porcupine and webbed urrfish puffers. The largest fish in our oceans, whale sharks, growing up to 60 feet in length feed year-round off the coast of Utila.

Best time to dive

During the raining season, storms can disrupt the diving. Other than that, most any time of year there is great diving in the Bay Islands.

Visibility

Visibility is often 150+ feet.

Water temperatures

Water temperature ranges 78 to 84 °F.

Weather and climate

The rainy season runs from May until October. The tropical Caribbean coast gets more average rainfall year round. The rest of the year, the interior and Pacific coasts are relatively dry. Expect sunshine and temperatures in the 80s°F (26°C).

Language

Spanish is the official language, though English is widely spoken.

Passport/Visa requirements

All U.S. citizens must have a valid passport and return ticket. A tourist card will be issued on arrival. Other countries should check with their government for requirements.

Currency

Lempiras – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Electrical current

110/220 volts AC is available at many locations. It is recommended to use surge protectors with sensitive equipment.

Capital

Tegucigalpa

General information

The Bay Islands are located in the Caribbean Sea off the east coast of the Central American country of Honduras. The Bay Islands consists of Roatan, Utila, and Guanaja, island groups off the coast of Honduras. Roatan is the largest island and is 33 miles long and three miles wide. Utila is the smallest islands and is only eight miles long and three miles wide.

Map

Get a map of the Bay Islands from WorldAtlas.com.