weather forecast for
Santiago, the closest
town to Santa
Catalina and Coiba
in Panama
Santiago, the closest
town to Santa
Catalina and Coiba
in Panama
| SCUBA COIBA IN SANTA CATALINA, PANAMA THE BEST ACCESS FOR DIVING TRIPS TO COIBA |
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Santa Catalina beach scuba diving in Coiba in Panama preparing for a dive at Coiba
Panama is the indigenous name for "abundance of fish" and nowhere else this
abundance expresses itself like in the area around Coiba island, what not
offers only the best diving in Panama but one of the world´s best diving.
SCUBA COIBA is located in Santa Catalina, Province of Veraguas, Panama and is the first and still the only
landbased diving operator in the Chiriqui gulf at the Pacific coast of Panama with easy and fast access to the world
class dive sites of the Coiba national park.
The quiet fishing village Santa Catalina, on Panama`s Pacific coast is visited by few people for its excellent surfing
conditions and for its easy access to some of the world`s finest and most spectacular dive sites, scuba diving here
is often described as a mixture between Galapagos and Cocos Islands. The world famous national park of isla Coiba
can be reached by boat from here in about 1:00 hour to 1:30 hours. But also much closer to Santa Catalina we have
discovered world class dive sites, where we have been diving with incredible amounts of fish - including whale sharks,
mantas and eagle rays. We are still discovering new dive sites frequently and there are chances that you will be diving
at some spots as the first human.
Santa Catalina is also one of Panama`s very few villages located directly at a sandy beach. Still there are a lot more
secluded sand beaches in the vicinity, what offer good swimming- and snorkeling opportunities for the non diving
guests. We also can organize eco adventure tours to the Coiba national park.
A lot of information about Santa Catalina and its attractions you wil find in the excellent website
http://www.santacatalinabeach.com
HOW TO REACH US:
To reach Santa Catalina, you have first to go to Santiago de Veraguas , leave the Interamericana in Santiago de
Veraguas following the signs to Sona. Before entering the town of Sona, you will find a Shell gasoline station and a
sign to turn left to Santa Catalina. After about 45 km of paved road, in the small village of Los Tigres, you will find
another sign to turn left to Santa Catalina. You will find us at the end of the (now paved) road directly in front
of the beach. The trip from Santiago to Santa Catalina takes less than 2 hours by car.
By bus you have to go to Sona and take from there one of the three daily buses to Santa Catalina, leaving Sona at
05:15 a.m., 12:00 and 04:10 p.m. You can also take a taxi from Sona to Santa Catalina for around USD 25.00/car.
Though it might be not so easy to reach us, diving in Coiba or
Santa Catalina will reward you highly for the discomfort.
ABOUT SANTA CATALINA:
ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD:
Santa Catalina offers a variety of accommodations, starting with basic
cabins, as low as USD 10.00/persons (fan, shared bathrooms), up to
more comfortable resorts with fan or a/c rooms and private bath,
4 restaurants, a cafeteria and a pizzeria. Visit our "where to stay" page
for more information.
There are also 3 stores in the village, where you can get basic food and
other important things.
COMMUNICATION:
There is only 1 (one) public telephone in the village (what is not always working) and no service for cell phones. In April
2005 opened the first Internet café in town (via satellite).
BANKS/CREDIT CARDS/TRAVELLER CHEQUES:
As there is no bank, nor a reliable telephone, you cannot pay in the village with credit cards or traveller cheques, only
cash. The next place with a bank and an ATM is Soná, what is 2 hours by bus.
WHAT TO EXPECT / NOT TO EXPECT:
In and around Santa Catalina you will find a lot of sandy beaches, one of the best surfbreaks of Central America and
world-class dive sites. You will also find rooms and food, shops (kiosks) satisfying your basic needs, friendly people in
a friendly village still unspoiled by masses of tourists.
You will not find any nightlife, shopping possibilities, banks, 5 star hotels, etc...
Neither in Santa Catalina, nor in Coiba exist boat docks, the typical boat with proofed reliability at the Pacific of Panama
are "Pangas" or "Lanchas", what are fast but mainly open outboard powered boats. We try to find a compromise
between easy to dive from and reasonably comfortable, so our boats have a Bimini roof, cushioned benches and tank
racks. But we are entering and exiting them from / to beaches, so you will wet your feet and in windy and rainy weather
you have to expect getting wet and to have a partially bumpy ride.
LINKS
abundance expresses itself like in the area around Coiba island, what not
offers only the best diving in Panama but one of the world´s best diving.
SCUBA COIBA is located in Santa Catalina, Province of Veraguas, Panama and is the first and still the only
landbased diving operator in the Chiriqui gulf at the Pacific coast of Panama with easy and fast access to the world
class dive sites of the Coiba national park.
The quiet fishing village Santa Catalina, on Panama`s Pacific coast is visited by few people for its excellent surfing
conditions and for its easy access to some of the world`s finest and most spectacular dive sites, scuba diving here
is often described as a mixture between Galapagos and Cocos Islands. The world famous national park of isla Coiba
can be reached by boat from here in about 1:00 hour to 1:30 hours. But also much closer to Santa Catalina we have
discovered world class dive sites, where we have been diving with incredible amounts of fish - including whale sharks,
mantas and eagle rays. We are still discovering new dive sites frequently and there are chances that you will be diving
at some spots as the first human.
Santa Catalina is also one of Panama`s very few villages located directly at a sandy beach. Still there are a lot more
secluded sand beaches in the vicinity, what offer good swimming- and snorkeling opportunities for the non diving
guests. We also can organize eco adventure tours to the Coiba national park.
A lot of information about Santa Catalina and its attractions you wil find in the excellent website
http://www.santacatalinabeach.com
HOW TO REACH US:
To reach Santa Catalina, you have first to go to Santiago de Veraguas , leave the Interamericana in Santiago de
Veraguas following the signs to Sona. Before entering the town of Sona, you will find a Shell gasoline station and a
sign to turn left to Santa Catalina. After about 45 km of paved road, in the small village of Los Tigres, you will find
another sign to turn left to Santa Catalina. You will find us at the end of the (now paved) road directly in front
of the beach. The trip from Santiago to Santa Catalina takes less than 2 hours by car.
By bus you have to go to Sona and take from there one of the three daily buses to Santa Catalina, leaving Sona at
05:15 a.m., 12:00 and 04:10 p.m. You can also take a taxi from Sona to Santa Catalina for around USD 25.00/car.
Though it might be not so easy to reach us, diving in Coiba or
Santa Catalina will reward you highly for the discomfort.
ABOUT SANTA CATALINA:
ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD:
Santa Catalina offers a variety of accommodations, starting with basic
cabins, as low as USD 10.00/persons (fan, shared bathrooms), up to
more comfortable resorts with fan or a/c rooms and private bath,
4 restaurants, a cafeteria and a pizzeria. Visit our "where to stay" page
for more information.
There are also 3 stores in the village, where you can get basic food and
other important things.
COMMUNICATION:
There is only 1 (one) public telephone in the village (what is not always working) and no service for cell phones. In April
2005 opened the first Internet café in town (via satellite).
BANKS/CREDIT CARDS/TRAVELLER CHEQUES:
As there is no bank, nor a reliable telephone, you cannot pay in the village with credit cards or traveller cheques, only
cash. The next place with a bank and an ATM is Soná, what is 2 hours by bus.
WHAT TO EXPECT / NOT TO EXPECT:
In and around Santa Catalina you will find a lot of sandy beaches, one of the best surfbreaks of Central America and
world-class dive sites. You will also find rooms and food, shops (kiosks) satisfying your basic needs, friendly people in
a friendly village still unspoiled by masses of tourists.
You will not find any nightlife, shopping possibilities, banks, 5 star hotels, etc...
Neither in Santa Catalina, nor in Coiba exist boat docks, the typical boat with proofed reliability at the Pacific of Panama
are "Pangas" or "Lanchas", what are fast but mainly open outboard powered boats. We try to find a compromise
between easy to dive from and reasonably comfortable, so our boats have a Bimini roof, cushioned benches and tank
racks. But we are entering and exiting them from / to beaches, so you will wet your feet and in windy and rainy weather
you have to expect getting wet and to have a partially bumpy ride.
LINKS
divespots selected site descriptions Coiba selected site descriptions Sta. Catalina logbook photo page
itinerary shop/equipment/team courses contact us FAQ´s terms/conditions/reservation/payment
prices Coiba Eco Tours Guestbook where to stay in Sta. Catalina
itinerary shop/equipment/team courses contact us FAQ´s terms/conditions/reservation/payment
prices Coiba Eco Tours Guestbook where to stay in Sta. Catalina
updated September 2007
Santa Catalina
diving Panama / Coiba since 2003