Snorkeling and diving
in Coiba

How to use this guide

This guide is for anyone staying in Santa Catalina who wants to see Coiba underwater on a day trip. There are two ways. The Coiba snorkel day tour costs US$70 to 90 and includes boat, guide, gear, life vest and lunch. It usually stops at Canal de Afuera island, where you may see turtles, reef sharks and rays, and at Ranchería island (Coibita), with white-sand beaches. Scuba diving Coiba from Santa Catalina means two or three dives in a park with 760 marine fish species and 33 shark species on record.

Allow a whole day per trip: boats leave around 8:00 or 8:30 a.m., the crossing takes 1 to 1.5 hours and you are back between 3:45 and 4:00 p.m. If you want both snorkelling and diving, set aside two days, one for each. The Contreras Islands (shark diving) are for experienced divers: they require an advanced certification with 30+ dives, or Open Water with deep-dive experience and 50+ dives. Hammerheads there are seen mainly from April to June or July.

Two sites are not part of the plan. Granito de Oro is closed: if a tour advertises it, ask which stop replaces it. Bahía Damas reef, 135 hectares, is not among the park's visitor sites, so do not count it as a stop. If money is tight, the snorkel tour is the cheapest way into the park. To dive for less, local dives at Santa Catalina cost US$95 for two tanks, against US$140 for two dives in Coiba.

Tips

• The park fee is paid separately: US$20 for foreigners and US$5 for Panamanians. Children under 12 do not pay it.
• At Unlimited Adventures, paying by card adds 7%, and some operators ask for a deposit when you book.
• If you dive, ask whether the price includes gear: at one operator, rental is charged separately at US$20 per day.
• There are no trips with a night on the island while overnight stays remain suspended during the Gambute works, so plan on there-and-back day trips.
• Snorkel Coiba calls Canal de Afuera island «Islas Canales»: if you see that name on an itinerary, it is the same stop.