Diving in Panama

03 Jun Diving in Panama

By the Coronado Concierge Panama Team

There is a whole new world waiting for you and it’s just a tank of air away!

It is amazing to watch what happens when you ask a diver about their passion for diving. There is a smile and an almost nostalgic look on their face. You can tell that’s what they would like to do right now. When we, at Coronado Concierge Panama, decided to write a blog about diving we realized that this might be better done by the experts. Four dedicated divers spend some time sharing their experiences an stories with us. A huge thank you to B. Chrisse Harwanko, TBird,  Ani Manz and Sergey Myasoedov for your contribution to our blog.

If you live in the Coronado area you might know B. Chrisse Harwanko. Chrisse is primarily a contemporary art painter who specializes in sea-inspired paintings and commissioned artwork. She gets ideas of textures and compositions for her paintings from her underwater adventures. She has been diving for over 40 years, starting with her first dive when she was 16 years old. Years of enjoying snorkeling led her to be certified as a diver in 1975.

Our friend TBird, a true fan of adventures,  has been snorkeling for over 40 years and diving for more than 20 years, also provided insight into diving. His passion for the ocean and water sports was one of the reasons to come to Panama.

Ani Manz, from the Panama Dive Center in Santa Catalina, met with us and shared her own experiences. Her passion for diving allowed her to combine it with working in one of the best dive spots in Central America. She is part of daily excursions to Coiba National Park and has helped visitors from around the globe explore the magical underwater world. Ani studied environmental journalism and is in the process to become a rescue diver.

While visiting Santa Catalina we met Sergey and his friends, a team of underwater photographers. We mentioned our upcoming blog and they where happy to share their pictures and video.

If you still have doubts, and if diving or snorkeling is something for you, please read on and see what our our experts shared with us.

Favorite place to dive in the world-

CH: Palau, in the Western Pacific. Have been there 5 times and will go back again. It features Jellyfish Lake where you snorkel with stingless jellyfish (one of my top 10 experiences in my life) and dive sites like Blue Corner (another of my top 10 experiences) and Ulong Channel, where you hook yourself into the reef with a large fishing hook to view the immense number of schools of pelagic fish.

AM: I loved diving in Poor Knights, New Zealand. The corals were so colorful, it was magical, and we had a really great instructor that made the difference. He told us so much about the aquatic life, the history of the place and the indigenous people that used to live there. Coiba is one of my favorite places, too. It is not as colourful as other spots, but is has a huge range of underwater life to offer. No matter the visibility and the conditions, you always get to see sharks, rays, morays, and lots of fish. And you basically dive on your own, in very small groups; it feels like you are part of this yourself. My favorite dive in Coiba was when I saw hammerhead sharks.

TB: I haven’t been to a lot of places… but The Blue Hole, in Santa Rosa New Mexico, is a great diving spot any day of the year!

 

Favorite diving spot in Panama –

CH: Coiba National Park is our Galapagos in Panama. Strong currents bring many schools of pelagic fish. If you are lucky, you can see whale sharks and whales at different times of the year. If you do not mind thermoclines and a bit of current, you will like Coiba. You do not go there to see gorgeous garden of coral,  as it is the Eastern Pacific with mostly rocky formations.  You will see white tip sharks on every dive. They are pretty shy, so it is safe to be in the water with these sharks. San Blas or Kuna Yala is also amazing but you can only snorkel there. Beaches are beautiful, underwater life is abundant and the seas tend to be very calm.

TB: I really enjoyed diving around Coiba National Park through a local Dive Center; the water was amazing and lots of wildlife to see! (Bocas del Toro was a great dive spot as well).

Do you have an interesting story about diving in Panama (or anywhere else) you’d like to share?

AM: Diving in the season of the humpback whales: You conduct your dives like any other day, see amazing things like eagle rays, whitetip sharks, frogfish, octopus etc. and suddenly you hear the sound of the humpback whales underwater. You forget about everything else, you don’t even see them, it’s so magical.

TB: I had a sea turtle, around Coiba National Park, that swam up to me and did a hard ‘bank’ right in front of me; like it was attempting to give me a high five. Totally sweeeeeet.

CH: Sipadan, Malaysia (a very small island that rises 2000 feet from the seabed) has one of the most interesting dive sites in the world: Barracuda Point. Thousands of chevron barracudas were there waiting for me each time I dropped off the boat. Sometimes they swam in a tornado-like fashion and other times the barracudas were hanging around forming a solid 60 foot wall.

Galapagos was another adventure for me in 1994. We dove for an entire week, each dive a bit more advanced than the one before. Diving daily with the playful Galapagos Sea Lions and prehistoric marine iguanas were our top highlights— until we did our last dive at Gordon Rocks. Two large pinnacles there rose from the sea. We were told by the dive guide that we were to plunge in Navy Seal style—  all at once, hit the water and drop down the the rocks below. Then we kicked to the area between the exposed pinnacles. As we kicked, the current got increasingly stronger so we had to pull ourselves on the rocks toward the underwater crevice. When we got to our destination, we were rewarded with the vision of a turbine of Hammerhead sharks swimming below us in large circles. They were very shy, so we had to stay at our 50 feet and look down at them at 70-90 feet. Currents remained strong the whole time. At one point I turned my head towards my dive buddy and the current moved my mask off the front of my face! I quickly moved it back in place and continued my viewing of one of the most spectacular underwater memories.

Your opinion on diving vs snorkeling? What’s the biggest difference?

CH: I love to be in the water with a mask to see what Mother Ocean has provided us- whether it is with a tank or just snorkeling. If you do not choose to snorkel or dive, you are missing seeing over 70% the visual images that our planet earth has to offer.  Snorkeling is great, if you do not like to scuba or cannot scuba. Going down with a tank of air, in my opinion is the utmost, as you can stay for much longer periods to explore the underwater.

AM: In Coiba, the snorkeling is actually super nice, you go to shallower places and still get so see sharks, turtles, lots of fish and sometimes even whalesharks. However, diving is a completely different experience. Just the fact to be able to breathe underwater, go deep and beeing able to be part of a magical world that we don’t know anything about is incredible. In addition to that ist much more challenging and more exciting, there is always ways to continue with your dive education to learn more about it.

TB: Both are great water sports. Diving, for me, is being able to enjoy any body of water environment – for a set amount of air time – without having to come to the surface for air!

Can you offer any tips or advice for people curious about diving or those who are just starting off? 

TB: Quit being curious- life is too short – go out and just try it! Several places throughout the world offer introductory dives; class time and 1 dive.

AM: Learn about the marine life and environment and learn to enjoy it. There is a lot of life down there, so learn to respect the animals and creatures that are living in the ocean. Be responsible while diving, it’s a privilege to get to know this world. Don’t be scared of being underwater, good instructors will teach you how to handle emergencies. Diving in different spots, countries, oceans, conditions and also aquatic life change so much depending on the place.

CH: I would say find a reputable dive operation and guide wherever you want to try to snorkel or dive. If you do not know the area, it’s best to go in with a guide or dive master. Pay attention to the rules of the park or area. Buy your own mask, snorkel and fins at least so you can get used to your own equipment. Never dive alone even when snorkeling, go with a buddy.

There tends to be a common fear associated with diving and sharks. What is your experience with safety and sea animals?

AM: The biggest danger in the oceans is human beings. Sharks and other animals won’t do anything to you if you do not provoke them or give them a reason to attack you. Usually they are more scared than you are. I have never had a bad experience diving with sharks. Stay calm and observe. If they come closer it’s because they are curious, and not because they want to eat you.

TB: ‘Most’ people and divers have a bit of ‘Shark Phobia’ – which includes me a little bit. Every shark I’ve experienced, was a positive experience! Some are curious, like we are to them, and some you barely get to see because it appears they are more afraid of us than we are of them.

CH: Sharks have had a bad reputation since the movie “Jaws”. The movie showed an unfair view of them.  More people die of coconuts falling on their heads each year than die of a shark bite! My experiences in diving in Palau, the world’s first shark sanctuary, has cured me of any fears. Sharks are like most animals in the sea, they go about their business and tend to be shy.  Sometimes they are curious, like the  nurse sharks I dove with this past month in Ambergris Caye. These particular ones were used to being fed either fish scraps from the fishermen cleaning their fish or freshly hunted lion fish from the dive guides. So from the time you got in the water in Ambergris, to the time you got out, whether you were snorkeling or scuba diving, they were following you like a hungry puppy dog. But with no intention of eating something as big as you!

Is there other information you would like to include?

CH: If you take sea animals out of the water, it stresses them. Just enjoy their beauty. There are many sea animals that have stinging cells or sharp parts that can break off so best not to touch and just look. Remember that when you enter the water, you are a guest in their environment.

In regards to my underwater photography: It is a great passion of mine to capture images underwater and exhibit them. They are also a great tool for me with my sea-inspired paintings. The textures, colors and compositions of my paintings stem from those momentary visual vibrations underwater.

AM: Coiba is a great experience and an amazing place for diving. It has so much history to tell. Some of the most dangerous criminals of Panama, that maintained the natural environment of the island as prisoners for a hundred years. It is worth a visit and being part of this beautiful spot on the planet. In Panama Dive Center we try to make this experience for everyone unique and unforgettable, and usually it doesn’t take much to make people see how beautiful it is.

TB: If you haven’t tried something; go try it! If you at least try it, then you can ‘literally’ say I like / love it or not…

There is just something magical about diving. And we sure hope that this blog will inspire you to give it a try, if you have not done it yet. There are fantastic dive and snorkeling areas here in Panama. From the Caribbean islands to the Coiba National Park . Please contact Coronado Concierge Panama for more information on diving in Panama.
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Coronado Concierge Panama wants to thank Ani Manz, Chrisse Harwanko, TBird, and Sergey Myasoedov for their responses and/or photography. Chrisse can be followed on Instagram tarzanadelmar; Facebook or visit her website. Ani can be contacted via Panama Dive Center’s website. Sergey Myasoedov [email protected].