Dive· Portobelo· Other Caribbean
Isla Buenaventura Dive Sites (Portobelo)
9° 32.4′ N · 79° 40.9′ W
The island off the western side of Portobelo Bay has three separate dive spots and is one of the sheltered sites dive centres use when the open coast is too rough.
Practical
Position is the OpenStreetMap outline of Isla de Buenaventura (relation 10291800). Panama's tourism board calls it a popular site with three separate dive spots. A 2011 diver listed 'Buena Ventura' with Drake's Island and an old airplane wreck as the sheltered sites dived in July when seas were rough, generally 25 to 60 ft deep, visibility 10 to 50 ft. Other Portobelo dive points the tourism board lists: Tres Hermanas ('one of the deepest points in the area'), Isla Padre, Maria Soto, Chicken Point, Punta Sabanilla, Pared de Huerta, and Playa Huertas for snorkelling, plus the Reef 2 Reef coral-restoration nursery where volunteers have planted coral. Dive with a local operator; no published moorings for private boats.
Best for
Sheltered dives when the trades are up
Season
Year-round (sheltered)
Nearby
- Portobelo Dive Centres & Airplane Wreck Dive0.4 NM away
- Drake's Island Dive Site (Isla de Draque, Portobelo)1.3 NM away
- Portobelo Anchorage & Forts1.3 NM away
- Casa Vela Bar, Restaurant & Sail Loft (Portobelo)1.6 NM away
- Salmedina Reef (Bajo de la Salmedina)1.6 NM away
- Captain Jack's Bar & Grill (Portobelo)1.7 NM away
- Casa Congo Restaurant & Dinghy Dock (Portobelo)1.7 NM away
- Festival of the Black Christ (Portobelo)1.8 NM away