coiba panama scuba diving dive center humpback whale

THE OCEAN COVERS 71 PERCENT OF EARTH,
YET ONLY 5 PERCENT HAS BEEN EXPLORED

COIBA NATIONAL PARK

Enjoy a unique scuba diving holiday experience filled with adventure and exploration on the Pacific coast of Panama at Coiba National Park with The Ark Divers.

Located in Pixvae, our intimate Lodge is the perfect place for people seeking an off-the-beaten-path diving experience. Pixvae, a small fishing village; is the nearest mainland access point to reach the best dive sites of the Park.

ONLY A 25-MINUTES BOAT RIDE

TO REACH THE BEST DIVE SITES

IN THE PARK.

the map of coiba national park, from pixvae. Our boutique eco-lodge is only 20 minutes away from Contreras and Coiba National Park, this is the best diving destination of Panama.

Watch humpback whales, dive with

whale sharks, giant mantas, massive schools

of fish or just enjoy one of the 33 shark species inhabiting Coiba swimming past you. From colorful nudibranchs to the biggest fish in the world, Coiba has it all.

With its large biodiversity - fauna, and flora unique to that part of the world, Coiba National Park and its buffer zone provide healthy ecosystems

We offer multiday dive trips, up to 3 dives per day without extra charge, and we specialized in advanced scuba diving expeditions.

EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC MARINE CORRIDOR

Formed millions of years ago in the Galapagos hotspot, today Coiba National Park is a hidden Paradise away from mass tourism ready to be explored.

The Coiba National Park is forming part of the Meso-American Biological Corridor; together with Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), and Malpelo Island (Colombia).

with our whaleshark dive center panama expedition we offer tours excursion at the hotspot best scuba diving eastern tropical pacific sharing the same marine corridor coco island and coiba island with malpelo island galapagos along with island the ark divers coco island galapagos malpelo scuba diving panama

Coiba Island once used as a penal colony has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The National Park and its Special Zone of marine protection is composed of Coiba Island and 38 smaller islands, for a total of 430,825 hectares of which 377,064 hectares are marine.

whaleshark coiba national park second largest reef eastern pacific bahia damas snorkeling coiba tours excursion scuba diving hotel dive center accommodation santa catalina pixvae panama dive center

THE BAHIA DAMAS REEF IN COIBA IS THE SECOND-LARGEST CORAL REEF IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN.

A large coral community gives refuge to enormous schools of fish in all sizes.

HOW TO DIVE IT

Diving here is good all year round.

The reason for that is different species migrating through in different months. From June-October, you can spot migrating humpback whales teaching their calves important life lessons. The currents in the months February-June not only bring the colder, nutritious water but also pelagic animals like pelagic stingrays, schools of Barracuda, Turtles, big schools of thousands of fish. and with a little luck maybe even a couple Hammerheads around the pinnacles of the Contreras Islands.

April -July marks breeding season for our beloved Bull sharks. In these months we have the best chances of diving with these large apex predators of the oceans.

33 DIFFERENT SHARK SPECIES ARE RECORDED TO CALL COIBA HOME.

Under them the biggest fish of all; the WHALE SHARK.

Best chances of diving with these gentle giants are between January and March.

whaleshark coiba national park pixvae panama the ark divers dive center excursion tours snorkeling hotel lodge accommodation multiday coiba santa catalina dive center

Water temperature is usually around 27-29°C (81-84°F). You can expect thermoclines from January to April with cooler water pushing up at 24°C (68°F) in the deeper regions.

Visibility is usually good and in between 15-25 meters (50-70 feet). This can be affected by currents and tides. Between January and April, the constant north wind is creating an upwelling that brings colder water up from the depth. That water is full of Plankton and micro organisms which attract bigger fish and pelagics. Visibility can be affected in those months.

THE ARK DIVERS
SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE

Created by divers, for divers.

Our motto being BEYOND DIVING, we are always thriving for the best for our guests.

Safety is our highest priority.

When diving with The Ark Divers, you can expect an all taken care of scuba diving experience.

We thrive to offer a very special and intimate experience to all of our guests; we want to know you by the size of your fins. For this reason, we limit our group size to a maximum of 5 divers per guide (unless requested differently).

shark scuba whaleshark diving coiba national park pixvae panama the ark divers instructor santa catalina tours snorkeling excursion multiday trip book hotel accommodation dive center expedition unlimited dive center

Located only 25 minutes from the Park, resulting in comfortable boat rides, quick access and diving in areas where almost no one else set fins.

BE THE FIRST IN THE PARK AND THE LAST ONE TO LEAVE IT.

Coiba National Park as so much to offer and we're here to deliver with our multiday dive trips.