If you want a memorable trip to Panama, snorkeling in Bocas del Toro or San Blas will be the highlight of your Panama vacation.
You can’t help but be captivated by the breathtaking beauty of these two clusters of Caribbean islands, and that beauty is mirrored beneath the waves as much as it is above.
We spent 3 days in Bocas del Toro and booked a speedboat and snorkeling tour while we were there. Was it worth it? YES, ABSOLUTELY!
🏆 Don’t have time to read the entire article? No worries! The best snorkeling tour is this Full-Day Speedboat Tour, Wildlife, and Snorkeling adventure – you’ll visit the most popular spots in one day.
What sealife can you see while snorkeling Bocas del Toro?
Starfish
One of our readers asked if we saw any starfish while snorkeling. The answer is yes, absolutely! The waters around Bocas del Toro are chock full of brittle stars, orange sea stars, basket stars, and more, with names that we know but I won’t bore you with.
Here’s a green sponge with a few brittle stars at its base.
Along with a variety of starfish, we saw plenty of other sea life. We used to keep many of them in our 90-gallon saltwater fish tank.
When you’re snorkeling, you will see a lot more beautiful marine life than any fish shop can carry, at a bargain price!
Flame scallops
I especially enjoyed looking for flame scallops on the reef. Each one we saw would have cost $6 in the store, yet here they were, free to enjoy (and a lot happier, I’m sure!).
Feather duster worms
If you look closely at the reefs, you’ll see feathery things sticking out from between the rocks. You might think that they’re unusual varieties of coral, but they’re not.
They’re actually a type of worm known as a feather duster. Those feathery fronds sweep microscopic particles into their mouths. That’s how they eat.
Feather duster worms come in a variety of hues … purple, pink, brown, and more. Some are as big as your hand, while others are as small as a fingernail.
And those worms are extremely skittish too, which makes them super fun to play with. Any time you get near them, they vanish back into their tubes so quickly that you’ll wonder if they were there to start with!
We tried to see how close we could get to the feathery worms before they disappeared. It became a fun game. They’re almost as small as a finger!
Someday, we hope to go to Hawaii. The worms there are as long as an arm!
Damselfish
This is a type of damsel fish. It kept attacking whenever one of us got close. If you look carefully slightly behind and above her tail, you may be able to see the eggs she was protecting.
Damselfish are very protective of their young.
Sponges
Though they don’t look like it, these neon-purple sponges are actually animals. Like the feather duster worms, they too are filter feeders.
There’s a starfish wrapped around the one on the left. It is called a brittle star. The area is chock full of brittle stars, and that is not a good thing for the reef.
Anemones
We discovered a mint green carpet anemone draped across some rocks and snuggled among the sponges. They are outrageously expensive to buy because they are so hard to keep!
Butterfly fish
I tried to get a better shot of these two butterfly fish while they were feeding, but they kept “fluttering” away from the camera.
Lame joke, I know.
Taking underwater photos can be a challenge
If you plan to take your camera on this trip, be forewarned: Snorkeling Bocas del Toro with a camera is not for the faint of heart. Dan was a little frustrated by not always getting the best focus in his shots.
Compared to shooting on land,.focusing underwater is far more difficult. That’s because the photogapher, the water, and the fish are all in motion!
I think he did pretty well, considering that getting the hang of our new underwater point-and-shoot camera was no picnic.
But then, I’m a lot more forgiving of photography errors. (That’s why I always let him handle the camera!)
The entire collection of Dan’s Bocas underwater photos are in our Bocas del Toro Underwater gallery.
ⓘ TIP: If you’re looking for a water-safe camera, the SeaLife Micro 3.0 is one of the best snorkeling cameras on the market.
Where to snorkel in Bocas del Toro
I don’t recommend that you try to stay in Bocas Town, where the nightlife is, and jump off the nearest dock to go snorkeling. I mean, you can, of course, but why not snorkel in a nicer environment? Watching tropical fish swim among a lot of bottles and trash is just sad.
If you want to snorkel in Bocas on your own, boat service to other islands is inexpensive. Ask the locals where to go. Red Frog Beach is good, but it’s one of many.
If you’d rather not leave such things to chance, go with a tour service. They’ll take you to the best areas and give you a fun day on the water.
We booked a full day snorkeling trip during our weekend in Bocas, and it turned out to be the best experience of our entire getaway. We went dolphin spotting, had lunch at a seafood restaurant (bring extra money to pay for the food!), and stopped at different islands for swimming, snorkeling, and exploring. Here’s a link to the tour we took.
I hope I’ve inspired you to spend a day snorkeling Bocas del Toro. It’s worth it!
Do you remember the tour company you used for snorkelling.
We arrived and only have a couple of days. Thanks
No, David, I’m afraid not. We asked the desk clerk at our hotel for a recommendation.
My husband and I and two friends are visiting Panama in December and wondering if this is a good time for snorkeling. If so, would San Blas or Bocas del Toro be a better destination? Do you know anything about clarity of the water as this is toward the end of the rainy season? Also what is the status of coral bleaching of the reefs in both places. I would appreciate any info you may have.
Hi Roberta, thanks for asking. We’ve only snorkeled in Bocas del Toro, so we can’t make comparisons from personal experience. Here’s what we can tell you:
1. You’ll be in rather shallow waters in both places, so you might not notice any visibility issues.
2. If you hire someone to take you snorkeling, as we did, he’ll take you to the best snorkeling spots, so you won’t need to worry about coral bleaching.
3. As to water clarity, so much of it depends on currents and whether there’s been any rain in the previous few days. Chiriqui province (Bocas) has highlands, so the Caribbean around Bocas would get some rain runoff. How much thaat would affect the visibility really depends. Some Decembers are drier than others.
4. If snorkeling is your #1 priority, you might be better off in San Blas. On the other hand, there’s a lot more to do in Bocas, and better restaurants.
Thanks for the beautiful pictures . We don’t know where to go this January or February which is when it’s horrible in New York We like to go to different places each winter but now we don’t want to have a long flight time.
I am looking forward to reading your posts on other places. We always snorkel. Have been doing that for over 30 years and have seen huge destruction of the reef everywhere.
Can’t say we blame you for wanting to escape New York winters. What do you consider a “long flight time”? It’s 5.5 hours to Panama from JFK, and far less to Mexico and the Caribbean. Of course, part of it depends on whether your flight is nonstop or you have a layover. Have you tried Hipmunk, Skyscanner or Momondo? When it comes to flight reservations, those search engines are far more user-friendly – at least in our opinion.
Hi Linda,
I am going to Bocas wit my family (3 children aged 10, 8 and 6) we are going specifically for the snorkeling. What area do you recommend we stay in? Is there a place you can get good snorkeling just off a beach (of course we will do boat tours as well) but it would be great to know where to book accommodation that is hopefully away from the noisy night life places and easy snorkeling available.
Have you got any tips?
Thanks so much
Georgia
Hi Georgia,
Thanks for your question. You have chosen a wonderful destination for snorkeling and I think you’ll enjoy it.
As a mom, I’d steer clear of any hotels on Isla Colon because of the noise alone; Panamanians like their music loud and it carries over the water like you wouldn’t believe, into the wee hours of the morning. Besides, the water near the hotels is full of trash. Anyway, the popular hotels along Isla Colon’s waterfront are built over the water so there are no beaches nearby. (You will, however, find the best shopping and dining options there.)
The best snorkeling is among the mangroves, rather than the beaches. Fish feel safer there because they can hide, and it’s fun to snorkel among the mangroves. If you want to snorkel the coral reefs, most of them are offshore and generally you will need a boat to get there.
Though we haven’t stayed there I believe you might like Isla Bastimentos. North beach, a 20 minute hike from Playa Tortuga, is a great dive site with some of the best snorkeling in Panama. Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge is one hotel to consider, but there are a lot of other excellent options as well, such as Red Frog Beach Rainforest Resort. Well, that’s a start, anyway. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Linda,
What tour company did you use to go snorkeling in Bocas? Will be there next week and am researching who we should book our day trips with.
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Please forgive me. I love to share resources whenever I can but I didn’t think to write down their name. All I can remember is that their office was halfway down on the main street, water side. We asked our hotel desk clerk because we figured they would know which companies are the best.
If you wouldn’t mind sharing your experience with everyone, please come back to let us know who you ended up using and how you liked them.
Thanks!
Linda
These are great photos! I’ve never been snorkeling but I have spent many a very early morning exploring the tide pools when I was a 6th grade teacher. It is amazing what the ocean has to offer!
I hope you have a chance to try snorkeling. It’s fun to enter another world for a few minutes.
Love it. Were these all at one “island” or several different locations? I don’t think I ever seen a purple sponge before.
We took a tour to a few different spots. Thanks for asking … I’ve updated the article to briefly explain how we managed to do that.