Bocas del Toro is becoming recognized as one of the best and most affordable places in Central America for scuba diving! Scuba diving in Bocas del Toro has something to offer for divers of all levels, like colorful reefs, shipwrecks, and underwater cave systems!

One of the things people love most about diving in Bocas is how easy and fun the experience can be. We have year-round diving and warm Caribbean waters, with most dive sites only a 10-minute boat ride from the dive center. The shallow reefs in the area allow for long, colorful dives with lots of light and life, making it the perfect place to get certified, or just to enjoy a nice laid-back day of diving!

This article was written by Lana, a Dive Master at Panama Dive School on Isla Carenero, who has 15 years of experience diving in Bocas.

What our Dives are Like

You can expect your dives to have an average bottom time of 60 minutes and an average depth of 14m/45ft (max depth 20m/70ft). We take a 45-minute surface interval on board the boat in between dives where divers share some snacks, stories of what they saw, and also to swap tanks before we jump back in.

There are several great dive spots that are just a 10 minute boat ride from Bocas Town, like two shipwrecks, a deep water wall, and beautiful and bustling coral reefs. Dives take place in the morning and afternoon, and you can even go night diving! Some of the best underwater creatures to see are nurse sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, sea horses, and some incredible tropical fish and corals.

Electronic Sim Card for Travel in Panama: Airalo is the world’s leading E-Sim brand and they offer a 30-day, 3GB plan for $18 that covers all of Panama. We use Airalo whenever we travel abroad!

Watch: Free Diving Caves in Bocas del Toro

When to Scuba Dive in Bocas del Toro

The single best month to go scuba diving in Bocas del Toro is September, and our best season for diving is Mid-August to late November due to the calmer sea conditions. This allows us to venture offshore to some amazing dive spots.

You can go scuba diving year-round in Bocas del Toro, as the Bahia de Almirante, or “the bay” as we call it, is protected from the open ocean swell and is where our most frequented dive spots are located. However, possibly one of the best-kept secrets in Panama is the intricate cave system is hidden under the barrier reef at Polo beach, and this area is usually only accessible during the August-November season.

Check out our Bocas del Toro Weather Guide

The Best Dive Centers in Bocas del Toro

• Panama Dive School – specializes in very personal dive experiences catered to small groups.
• La Buga Dive & Surf – dive center with restaurant and bars on location and the coolest dive boat in Bocas, good for large groups.
• Bocas Dive Center – Modern facilities with the largest dive boat on the island.
• Bocas Pirates Dive Center – local mom-and-pop style shop.

Panama Dive School

Panama Dive School is our top choice for your diving experience in Bocas del Toro. They have a great location on Isla Carenero, an awesome and super friendly team, and some of the best prices in town!

Dive Spots in Bocas del Toro

There are many different dive spots in Bocas and something for every skill level. We do most of our year-round diving in the bay where the Chiquita channel runs between the islands of Solarte and San Cristobal.

Named after the Chiquita banana company, until recently the channel was used as the main route for freight ships to get to and from the port of Almirante, rendering the area unsafe for divers. This is part of the reason that diving in Bocas del Toro was reasonably undiscovered until now. Shipping traffic has since been rerouted behind the islands and our reefs are very grateful! Isla Solarte is now the main island to dive off, with colorful sloping and scattered reefs that run along the coast. It is also home to our 2 most popular shipwreck dives!

When the conditions are better in the Mid-August-November season, we will venture to farther away dive spots, like Polo Channel and Machete caves!

Some of the popular dive spots are:

Lunch box (Shipwreck Dive): isla solarte

Lunch box is home to the Mystic Wind, an 18m/60ft trimaran that sits on a sloping reef with a max depth of 18m/60ft. It was sunk by the local dive community in 2014 creating a beautiful marine habitat and stunning point of interest on the reef. Our favorite thing about Lunch box is penetrating the wreck! divers can swim under the wreck and pop out safely on the other side.

Pandora (Shipwreck and Reef): isla solarte

A healthy crescent-shaped reef is also home to our newest shipwreck, the Godewind, a 14m/45ft monohull with a max depth of 20m/70ft. sunk recently in 2019 divers are in aw of the life that has already formed on this wreck in such a short amount of time. The main point of interest is the raised sail giving this wreck a unique Pirates of the Caribbean feeling you likely won’t forget.

Manuel’s wall (deep water wall): isla solarte

Located just in front of Sol Bungalows on Isla Solarte, Manuel’s wall is a steep reef wall dropping down from 15m/50ft all the way to 30m/100ft. This is our deepest dive site in the bay where you are guaranteed to see an abundance of fish life on top of the wall. Large dog snapper, moray eels, and nudibranchs are some of our favorite things to see at this site.

Sachen (Drift Dive): isla bastimentos

This is a weather-dependent dive site and the most colorful and alive reef in Bocas del Toro. This shallow and long stretch of reef is a haven for juvenile fish and coral breading. Here we also see schools of palometa, triggerfish and it typically is our sharkiest dive! The large deep water sea fans found on this reef are rare to see at such shallow depths and can be home to the fingerprint, blackband and spotted flamingo tongue.

Polo Channel and Machete Caves (Cave Dives): Isla Bastimentos

Polo Channel and Machete Caves are 2 of the best dives in Panama. Stunning underwater rock structures and canyoning walls with cracks of light peaking through makes for amazing visuals and photographs. With a max depth of only 12m/40ft these dive sites are accessible to all divers. These caves are accessible during the August-November season.

Tiger Rock

Tiger Rock is one of the most famous dives in Panama but is rarely visited. This is a 40m/130ft pinnacle dive for advanced divers only. Cayos Tigre is a small collection of seamounts and pinnacles located just off the Kusapin peninsula. Approximately an hour and 15-minute boat trip from the main island of Isla Colon, it is surrounded by open ocean, strong currents and clear blue water. The average visibility here is 20 meters, making this dive site like no other in the Bocas del Toro area. Pelagic life can be more commonly found here such as oceanic sharks and even the sunfish has been sighted on rare occasions. Tiger Rock is also only visited during the August – November season.

The Best Things to See While Scuba Diving in Bocas del Toro

Marine life is diverse in the Bocas del Toro area. We have over 70 different species of corals but our favorites are the huge brain corals and massive basket sponges found on almost every reef in the area, along with plenty of pincushion starfish and brittle stars!

Underwater photographers most enjoy the huge amount of macro life that can be found on the reefs and sea floor, including arrow crabs, jawfish, banded coral shrimps, flamingo tongues, seahorses, boxfish, nudibranchs, and more! Some of the larger life we find at most dive sites will be stingrays, puffer fish, nurse sharks, moray eels, toadfish, squid, and Caribbean reef fish of all shapes and colors!

Costs of Scuba Diving in Bocas del Toro

Most dive operations on the island offer an all-inclusive experience, meaning your gear and guide are included in the price. Dive Trips run twice a day, at 9 am and at 1 pm, and take around 3 and half hours. Bocas del Toro is known to have some of the most affordable scuba diving on this side of the world!

Here are some average rates for the different types of dives you can do in Bocas:

• Fun Dive (for certified divers): $80.00 per person for 2 tanks (2 dives) in the bay.
• Discover Scuba Dive (for non-certified divers) $100.00 per person for 2 tanks in the bay.
• PADI Open Water Course (get certified to dive) $340.00 3-day course, includes 4 tanks.
• Seasonal Dive Trips to further away dive sites like machete caves and tiger rock range from $100.00-$140.00 USD for 2 tanks
• Night Dive: $60 for a one tank dive starting at 6:30PM

Is Bocas del Toro Worth Visiting for Scuba Diving?

Yes! There are few places in the world where diving is as accessible as it is in Bocas del Toro and still have uncrowded dive sites that don’t cost an arm and leg to get to! Small Groups and dive sites that are not over-exposed to tourism on their own make Bocas a great place to dive! And if you come during the right time of year you will enjoy some of the best diving in the Caribbean!

Read 10 more reasons why Bocas del Toro is worth visiting.

Ready to go Diving in BocaS del Toro?

Hop on over to Panama Dive School’s website!. If you do plan on diving in Bocas del Toro, you’re going to want to stay closer to the dive schools so you can get back and forth to them each day. Since all the dive schools are located near Bocas Town (with one in Old Bank on Isla Bastimentos), we recommend staying nearby. Check out our where to stay in Bocas del Toro article for some good options!

Read more travel guides from our Blog: