Scuba Diving in Panama at the Stunning Other Galapagos

In the aqua blue waters just off the coast of southern Panama lay 39 islands that comprise Coiba National Park near the village of Santa Catalina. Within sight of the ocean is one of the town’s first shops for scuba diving in Panama, Coiba Dive Center, owned by PADI Dive Instructors Glenn and Julie.

Coiba National Park (CNP) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and caught our attention because it has been called the Galapagos of Panama. Known for diverse marine biodiversity, Coiba is a diver’s dream and is on various lists of “Top Dive Destinations” in the world. Surfers, kayakers and other outdoor enthusiasts also seem in the know to find their way there and to Santa Catalina, the tiny village at the end of the road.

We had just spent three days above water kayaking and snorkeling so next, we knew it was time to get under the water. We reached out to Coiba Dive Center to collaborate, and after a couple of emails, we were booked and confirmed for our day of diving. The diving was great, and we’ll talk about that in a minute, but it was meeting the married couple, Glenn and Julie and learning more of their story that inspired us.

Sitting in the cool breeze of the late afternoon shade at their shop, Julie shared with us some highlights of her lifelong passion for the ocean and its marine life. Born and raised in Belize, Julie has always had a natural love of the sea. She’s been involved in extensive whale shark research and is one of the first female dive instructors certified in Belize. At one point, Julie points to a photo located in the shop and casually mentions that she’s on a Belize postage stamp.

Yep – there’s a photo of her and another researcher observing a whale shark and the Belize Government put it on a postage stamp. How cool is that?

They weren’t exactly looking to move to Panama per se, but after the very first dive around CNP, it was love at first dive. Coiba Dive Center was the second dive shop to open in the village of Santa Catalina. Twelve years and counting Santa Catalina has become home.

As time quickly ticked by that afternoon it was apparent Julie seemed to have endless energy to talk about the ocean, diving, marine wildlife and conservation. The tag line for Coiba Dive Center is Sharks Guaranteed! If they take you out on a three tank dive trip and you don’t see a shark, they will give you your money back, less the park fees. In twelve years, they’ve never had to refund anyone.

“If you have sharks, you have other marine life,” notes Julie. She goes on to explain that some people come and are nervous at the thought of seeing a shark. Often people conjure up images of Jaws leaping out the water to eat them. This is just not a reality. (Important life lesson: movies don’t always replicate real life.)

Coiba Dive Center takes pride in helping to dispel myths. It is up to all of us to try and make situations better, not worse. The more we can understand how things work, especially those things that scare us, the more we arm ourselves with the knowledge of how situations play out in real life. 

They bring new divers (and sometimes snorkelers) on a scuba diving in Panama adventure where they can return with a greater understanding of the ocean world than when they first left. If you are an experienced diver, then lucky you to have found your way to Santa Catalina and CNP to experience the diving there.

Now let’s get moving on with our day and look at what we saw out there while scuba diving in Panama:

The following morning we met Julie and our fellow divers at the shop to gear up for a day of scuba diving in Panama. Chris was studying up on animals we might see while out there diving. Coffee and bananas were on offer, and after a very detailed briefing,  we all made the short walk down to the beach.

We had about a 45-minute boat ride out to our first dive site. Cruising by the barely developed Pacific coast, it gave an appreciation for how unspoiled so much of Panama still is.

Before we knew it, the time had come to get into the water. We used a mooring line to descend into the ocean for the first dive.

There were so many puffer fish! They seem to love posing for the camera. Can you even find the puffer fish in the photo above? It’s there! I liked how this photo showed how well they blend in.


After a great dive, there was a surface interval (sun time) before our next dive. A snack of chips and watermelon was available on what was our private secluded beach.

We also got to witness a hermit crab fight that went on for several minutes. We thought the one hermit crab was going to lose, but it eventually broke free and seemed to be ok. As we watched the battle, we could imagine that David Attenborough was narrating the event.

Sunbeams helped show off the aqua blue water with this school of Big-Eyed Jacks swirling around.

Something we can rave about without hesitation was the lunch Coiba Dive Center provided. Everyone in our group ordered the “Pana-Lunch” which was chicken (or vegetarian option), rice, beans, and a slaw. Oh my gosh – it was such a tasty lunch followed by watermelon.

If divers pre-book and the conditions allow, a third dive is also possible. Those that don’t pre-book a third dive, if tanks are available,  can pay when you get back to the shop. We were so glad because we got to see this reef shark and a big eel swimming at the end of this video! Loved watching the eels swim! 🙂

A great moment during our day of scuba diving in Panama was passing by a squadron of Long Tail Stingrays resting on the sandy bottom. Look first at the lighter patches of sand. As we got closer, it was easier to tell they were Rays hiding under the sand. There were a lot more rays resting all over that area as well.

While descending the line on one of our dives, we looked to the right, and there was a school of White Tipped Reef Sharks also resting.

Seeing so many sharks just hanging out together was exciting to observe.

Another exciting moment was seeing this Guitarfish. They are not always easy to find.

This was a new species for us to see and the name, Guitarfish, is just fun to say. After a satisfying day of diving, we made our way back to Coiba Dive Center. This video showcases just some of the different species we saw. There is another White Tip Reef Shark that swam by off in the distance at the end of this video.

In the diving community, it is common that divers gather together to fill out their log books after the day of diving. You can write about the conditions of your dive and the different species you saw. Documenting info like how much weight you had and if it worked well is helpful so you can remember for next time. If you are a new diver, you want to get official documentation that you have been diving. All dive instructors have an international certification number they use when they sign your dive book. If you are looking to do more challenging dives or want to advance your certification level, you may need to show documented proof of how many dives you have.

As our diving day was coming to an end, we were so happy to have met the hardworking and dedicated staff of Coiba Dive Center. One thing that stood out to us was their commitment to responsible diving. Julie made sure and insisted that we are there to observe and only be leaving our bubbles and footprints. There was a no touching anything or interfering with schools of fish warning given in the briefing at the dive shop. If divers could not follow low impact diving practices, they would not be permitted to continue diving. On the boat, there were reusable and numbered water bottles that each person could refill throughout the day — no plastic bottles on that boat. Our lunches also came in reusable containers.
Whether by snorkeling or diving, getting into the underwater world alongside so many marine creatures is a unique experience. People from all over the globe go scuba diving in Panama with Coiba Dive Center in CPN. Signing the wall is a tradition at the shop. The signatures started on a small square area and have grown to now wrapping around the entire building. We left our mark to remain on the wall for years to come.

With three more dives and new animals’ species under our weight belts, we were glowing with our time in Santa Catalina. As travelers, there are certain places that we actively seek out, and there are places that seem to seek us out. Santa Catalina is one of those unique places where some people pass through and while others thought they were passing through, only to end up staying and finding a home. Whatever fate is to befall you, there is a small village close to amazing diving waiting for you.

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Getting to Santa Catalina:
Some people we talked to expressed anxiety over getting to Santa Catalina because of the need to switch buses. I can tell you it was straightforward and by far the cheapest option. We spent a month traveling all around Panama on buses with absolutely no problems. We always got charged the correct amount, and everything was ok. You will almost always give your bigger luggage to the bus handler who will either put it on top of the bus or underneath. Keep your day bag with fragile items like a camera on your person.

Get a bus to Santiago. From David, this cost $9 and from Panama City, it’s $10.

<Side note: If you are looking for a place to stay in David, Chambers en Ville was absolutely charming! We walked to the guest house when we first arrived via the bus. In the morning the owner called a taxi for us, and it was $2 to go to the bus station.

In Panama City Posada 1914 was also a charming boutique hotel. They have 24 hr. reception so they can accommodate all arrival times.>

Bus from Santiago to Sona. $2 pp. It will stop and literally, you must walk across the street to get on a bus to Sona or the bus will pull directly into the station. We were able to walk right onto a bus. If you must wait, you won’t have to wait long.

Bus from Sona to Santa Catalina. $4.65 pp. Santa Catalina is quite small, but our bus handler asked each person where they were staying and let them off in front of their accommodation. If you were staying out towards Oasis Surf Camp area, you might want to try and find the taxi to take you out there. Ask at the shop in town for the taxi truck if you need to. If you don’t have a vehicle, we recommend looking at the map and staying in accommodations closer to Main Street for the convenience.

Get all your internet chores done before you get to Santa Catalina. Wi-Fi is not fast.

There is NO ATM in Santa Catalina. Make sure you bring plenty of cash. Many businesses do accept credit cards; however, some may add a fee.

We stayed at Lodge Cool Inside in a bungalow. They also have dorms. The bungalows where much nicer than we thought and the pictures don’t do them justice. This place was not quite our style (a little bit too loud of party reggae music – but fortunately we couldn’t hear it in the bungalow.) If you can deal with a messy kitchen, we can recommend staying there. We extended an additional three nights. This was one of the better budget options with a kitchen. Most of the restaurants in town don’t open until 6 or 6:30 pm so having a kitchen was good to make dinner whenever we felt hungry.

You can browse here for other accommodation listings in town.

Make your Booking!
Check out the Coiba Dive Center website and Facebook page.

Never been diving before? No problem! You can opt to do an intro to Scuba Diving and see if you like the experience. Already know you want to become PADI certified? Coiba is a bucket list diving location – what better place to learn and maximize your time in the water.

Coiba Dive Center offers all-inclusive Multiday diving tours and packages in Coiba. The three-day trip is by far the best way to experience what Coiba National Park has to offer. Divers get the opportunity to experience locations rarely seen by others.

If you have any questions, get in touch with Coiba Dive Center.

Go their website, send an email to info@coibadivecenter.com, or you can call directly +507-6774-0808 or 6780-1141.