Dive· Isla Grande (Panama)· Other Caribbean
Isla Grande Dive & Snorkel Sites (Panama)
9° 38.1′ N · 79° 33.8′ W
The reefs around Isla Grande, east of Puerto Lindo, are dived by a small local operation; divers who know both describe the diving as about the same as Portobelo, and it is the closest scuba to Linton Bay and Panamarina.
Practical
Position is the OpenStreetMap outline of Isla Grande (relation 11832644); dive sites are chosen by the operator. In 2010 a regular diver said Isla Grande was 45 minutes to an hour further east of Portobelo by road and the diving 'no better or worse than Portobelo'; resorts then used Andres Hernandez's Dive Panama, and later posts mention a very small one-person operation, so confirm who is operating before you go. Sources give no named site list or depths, so we do not invent one. Practical: anchor off the village (see Isla Grande Anchorage) and arrange diving ashore; or dive with the Portobelo centres, whose equipment one long-time diver rated better. Outside Guna Yala, so scuba is permitted.
Best for
Scuba within a short hop of Linton Bay
Season
Year-round; calmer Aug–Sep
Nearby
- Isla Grande Village Restaurants & Bars0.2 NM away
- Isla Grande Anchorage (Panama)0.3 NM away
- Linton Bay Boatyard (160-tonne Travelift)1.6 NM away
- Linton Bay Clearance (Port Authority, Immigration & Customs)1.6 NM away
- Linton Bay Marina1.6 NM away
- Linton Bay Marina Restaurants (The Tropic Bar & Blue Point)1.6 NM away
- Panama Cruising Permit1.6 NM away
- Panamarina Moorings (Puerto Lindo)2.3 NM away