Coiba National Park – Canales and Rancheria
Profiles
Our dives typically last about 50 minutes, depending on conditions and air consumption, and range from 10 m to 30 m in depth. The sites offer a wide variety of conditions — from calm, easy dives to those with stronger currents and deeper profiles. We always tailor site selection to each diver’s experience, the season, and the weather.
For many, this area offers the perfect mix of beauty and adventure, with marine encounters and dynamic conditions that even seasoned divers find exciting. Most of the year, water temperatures range from 26 °C to 30 °C, although from mid-March to early June, thermoclines can bring cooler water between 18 °C and 24 °C.
Prices
The price for two dives $145, three dives $170. In the rainy season the third dive cannot be guaranteed due to weather conditions and our concern for safety. You will be asked to pay the additional $25 when we return from the trip if we were able to do a third dive.
Included: equipment (also dive computer), lunch (rice with chicken or with veggies), fruit and water
Not included: park entrance fees ($20 for foreigners, $5 for panameños and residents, must be paid in cash)
Do you have any questions? Feel free to contact us.
Our trips for certified divers
We run daily dive trips to Coiba National Park from Santa Catalina. We meet at the dive center for coffee and a briefing at 7:30 am, then take a short walk down to the beach and head out to the park. The boat ride to the dive sites takes about an hour and a half. We do two or three dives a day, depending on your preference (and occasionally the weather), and usually return between 3:30 pm and 4 pm.
All our dive sites are located within Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site made up of several stunning islands, including Coiba, Isla Ranchería, Canales, and the Contreras area. During surface intervals and for lunch we stop at the park’s pristine beaches —home to monkeys, ñeques, crocodiles, iguanas, and many bird species.
What you can see
The diving here is truly spectacular. While the reefs are not famous for bright corals, the abundance of marine life is what makes Coiba world-class. Expect to see white-tipped reef sharks, turtles, dolphins, eagle rays, devil rays, stingrays, lobsters, seahorses, frogfish, jacks, trevallies, barracudas, moray eels, wahoos, snappers, and plenty of colorful reef fish. In plankton-rich waters, there’s always the chance of encountering whale sharks or giant mantas, and between July and September, humpback whales are often seen at the surface. Check out our gallery for some photos.
