| DIVE SITES PARQUE NACIONAL DE ISLA COIBA |
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Presently (May 2005) we have explored more than 20 dive sites in this area. And we know of a lot of other sites still
waiting to be explored by scuba divers. Many dive sites are close to the ranger station at Coiba, where we are based
during our trips and can be dived year around, some are further away and cannot be reached at certain times due to
strong winds and rough sea.
The island is far enough from the mainland and therefore rain runoff is not affecting the visibility much and so it is a
diving destination also in the raining season.
Rating:
* * * * * world class (red = difficult, only for experienced divers)
* * * * excellent (blue = medium, sometimes experience required)
* * * very good (green = easy, easy relaxed diving, also beginners)
* * good
* fair
1 Frijoles: rating * * * * depth 30m/100ft
We enter on top of submerged rocks, where we often see large schools of
pelagics and drift along the rocks which house many white tip reef sharks,
large lobsters, different kind of eels and octopusses. At some times of the
year schools of mantas are feeding in the currents.
2 Mali Mali: rating * * * * * depth 30m/100ft
This rock, breaking the surface only at low tide, is swept consistently by
moderate to strong currents, so some experience is recommended to
enjoy this great dive site. The rock is both a cleaning and feeding station for pelagic fish. In every dive here we have
seen some of the following: white tips, nurse sharks, guitar sharks, mantas, eagle rays, jew fish, turtles, wahoo,
schooling jacks and tunas, milk fish, pilot whales and even orcas.
3 Santa Cruz: rating * * * * * depth 25m/85ft
One of the few sites in Coiba, covered with hard corals it is a beautiful undamaged coral garden in the shallower
parts with lots of small colorful marine life like blennies, octopusses, scorpion fish, sea horses, giant moray eels and
nudibranches. In the deeper part we regularly meet a big jew fish, schools of barracudas, jacks, tunas and spade
fish, as well as white tips.
4 El Porton (Punta Playa Hermosa): rating * * * * depth 30m/100ft +
Assembly of steep walled pinnacles, only one of them breaking the surface at low tide. This is the point where the
water from the deep ocean is meeting the most western point of Coiba. The rocks are divided by narrow channels,
the walls covered with small soft corals. Due to sometimes rougher conditions we are not finding the abundance of
small colorful fish like at other sites, but it is probably to encounter larger pelagic tunas and jacks.
5 Sombrero de Pelo (islas Contreras): rating * * * * * depth 30m/100ft +
The dives are starting at a submerged rock, containing different valleys and a swim through, continuing over a small
sand flat at around 30m/100ft, that a colony of garden eels calls their home, we are reaching a sloping rock, rising
slowly until it breaks the surface. Due to the remote location, the great depth and the absence of rivers in the vicinity
we have normally excellent visibility at this spot. Almost always big schools of snappers, jacks, tunas and barracudas
are sweeping the rocks, what are also home to some white tip reef sharks.
6 La Viuda: rating * * * * * depth 30m/100ft
big rock formation (baja) rising till 9 meters / 30 feet under the surface at low tide located in the channel between
Coiba and islas Canales. Due to the exposed location in the channel you have to expect at times strong currents, but
also masses on fish (big snappers, all kind of jacks and tunas, reef sharks, also pelagic sharks and at certain times
mantas and whale sharks).
7 Faro de Canales (islas Canales): rating * * * * depth 20-30m/70-100ft
Assembly of rocks and small pinnacles, close to isla Canales Afuera, inhabitad by a huge variety of marine life. You
can expect to find different species of moray eels (green, gold, yellow star, jewel, zebra and grey), octopus, crabs
and white tip reef sharks. The outer deeper pinnacles are frequently visited by turtles, rays and schooling jacks.
Visit our logbook- and photosite for more information.
See our itinerary page for our next scheduled trips.
waiting to be explored by scuba divers. Many dive sites are close to the ranger station at Coiba, where we are based
during our trips and can be dived year around, some are further away and cannot be reached at certain times due to
strong winds and rough sea.
The island is far enough from the mainland and therefore rain runoff is not affecting the visibility much and so it is a
diving destination also in the raining season.
Rating:
* * * * * world class (red = difficult, only for experienced divers)
* * * * excellent (blue = medium, sometimes experience required)
* * * very good (green = easy, easy relaxed diving, also beginners)
* * good
* fair
1 Frijoles: rating * * * * depth 30m/100ft
We enter on top of submerged rocks, where we often see large schools of
pelagics and drift along the rocks which house many white tip reef sharks,
large lobsters, different kind of eels and octopusses. At some times of the
year schools of mantas are feeding in the currents.
2 Mali Mali: rating * * * * * depth 30m/100ft
This rock, breaking the surface only at low tide, is swept consistently by
moderate to strong currents, so some experience is recommended to
enjoy this great dive site. The rock is both a cleaning and feeding station for pelagic fish. In every dive here we have
seen some of the following: white tips, nurse sharks, guitar sharks, mantas, eagle rays, jew fish, turtles, wahoo,
schooling jacks and tunas, milk fish, pilot whales and even orcas.
3 Santa Cruz: rating * * * * * depth 25m/85ft
One of the few sites in Coiba, covered with hard corals it is a beautiful undamaged coral garden in the shallower
parts with lots of small colorful marine life like blennies, octopusses, scorpion fish, sea horses, giant moray eels and
nudibranches. In the deeper part we regularly meet a big jew fish, schools of barracudas, jacks, tunas and spade
fish, as well as white tips.
4 El Porton (Punta Playa Hermosa): rating * * * * depth 30m/100ft +
Assembly of steep walled pinnacles, only one of them breaking the surface at low tide. This is the point where the
water from the deep ocean is meeting the most western point of Coiba. The rocks are divided by narrow channels,
the walls covered with small soft corals. Due to sometimes rougher conditions we are not finding the abundance of
small colorful fish like at other sites, but it is probably to encounter larger pelagic tunas and jacks.
5 Sombrero de Pelo (islas Contreras): rating * * * * * depth 30m/100ft +
The dives are starting at a submerged rock, containing different valleys and a swim through, continuing over a small
sand flat at around 30m/100ft, that a colony of garden eels calls their home, we are reaching a sloping rock, rising
slowly until it breaks the surface. Due to the remote location, the great depth and the absence of rivers in the vicinity
we have normally excellent visibility at this spot. Almost always big schools of snappers, jacks, tunas and barracudas
are sweeping the rocks, what are also home to some white tip reef sharks.
6 La Viuda: rating * * * * * depth 30m/100ft
big rock formation (baja) rising till 9 meters / 30 feet under the surface at low tide located in the channel between
Coiba and islas Canales. Due to the exposed location in the channel you have to expect at times strong currents, but
also masses on fish (big snappers, all kind of jacks and tunas, reef sharks, also pelagic sharks and at certain times
mantas and whale sharks).
7 Faro de Canales (islas Canales): rating * * * * depth 20-30m/70-100ft
Assembly of rocks and small pinnacles, close to isla Canales Afuera, inhabitad by a huge variety of marine life. You
can expect to find different species of moray eels (green, gold, yellow star, jewel, zebra and grey), octopus, crabs
and white tip reef sharks. The outer deeper pinnacles are frequently visited by turtles, rays and schooling jacks.
Visit our logbook- and photosite for more information.
See our itinerary page for our next scheduled trips.
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