Coral Reefs

The year-round warm sea, good visibility and wonderfully preserved coral make Bocas del Toro an immensely popular destination for diving and snorkeling. Large schools of spectacularly-colored tropical fish cruise through intricate networksof hard and soft coral, huge sponges, bizarre worms and sea cucumbers. Nurse sharks lurk in coral-encrusted shipwrecks, while crabs and lobsters scuttle through tunnels teeming with marine life.  The luckiest divers may spot an enormous sea turtle.

For those who have never ventured beneath the water´s surface, or for experienced divers looking to get better qualified, Bocas offers some of the most competitively-priced PADI courses in the Caribbean, with qualified, bilingual instructors. Several dive schools are located along the waterfront in Bocas town, and in Old Bank, on Isla Bastimentos. Snorkeling is included on many day tours, or you can rent equipment for a couple of dollars a day and arrange for a boat driver to drop you off.

For the best diving, avoid going the day after heavy rain – the many rivers which drain into the Bay bring cloudy sediment, which greatly reduces visibility. March to May and September to October are generally the clearest months.