Panama

Best Time to Dive in Coiba

7.47°N 81.72°W

Go January to March, when the downpours ease — 2 days a month of heavy rain instead of 17. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.

Best time
Jan–Mar
Water
28–29 °C
Visibility
5–25 m
Dived from
day boat
Tidal range
1.7–3.2 m
Species logged
12

Where it is

Panama
25 kmN

111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m

Diving in Coiba — monthly breakdown

Best months at this destination

A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.

Month by month conditions, water temperature, visibility and marine life
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
ConditionsExcellentExcellentExcellentGoodPoorPoorPoorPoorPoorPoorPoorModerate
Water temp (°C)292929292929292929282829
Visibility (m)10–20—10–205–1510–2015–2510–205–1515–2510–2010–2010–20
Marine lifeBusyBusyPeakPeakBusySteadySteadyBusyPeakSteadyBusySteady
Best timePeakPeakPeak
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jan–Mar

Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.

The Coiba diving season

3 seasons

January to April · Peak season

4 months
Water temperature
29–29 °C
Rain
15 days a month

Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The sea is calmer. The wind is up.

Marine lifeMunk's mobula (hit-or-miss), Sailfish (hit-or-miss), Whale shark (likely), Oceanic manta (hit-or-miss) peak at Coiba in these months.

May to November · Off season

7 months
Water temperature
28–29 °C
Rain
30 days a month

Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains more.

Marine lifeWhale shark (likely), Oceanic manta (hit-or-miss) peak at Coiba in these months.

December · Shoulder season

1 month
Water temperature
29–29 °C
Rain
26 days a month

Diving conditionsThis is the wet season topside. The wind eases. The sea is calmer.

  • Spring tides run 3.2 m against 1.7 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
  • Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
  • Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.

Coiba water temperature and weather

949 underwater observation records · 22 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature

Water & weather

Coiba water temperature by month

The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.

27282930JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSea temperature (°C)

10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean

Rarely
rough enough to cancel

Seas top 1.5 m on under 1% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat

0
blowy days a month

Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port

25
wet days a month

13 of them bring heavy rain

Monthly sea state, wind, rain, air temperature and daylight
MonthSwellGusts over 40 km/hWet daysHeavy rainAirDaylight
January0.7 m0%17330 °C11.6 h
February0.8 m0%9132 °C11.8 h
March0.7 m0%11132 °C12.0 h
April0.8 m0%22831 °C12.2 h
May1.0 m0%301829 °C12.3 h
June1.0 m0%302028 °C12.4 h
July1.0 m0%312128 °C12.4 h
August1.0 m0%311928 °C12.2 h
September1.0 m0%301728 °C12.0 h
October1.1 m0%312128 °C11.8 h
November1.2 m0%291828 °C11.7 h
December0.8 m0%26829 °C11.6 h

Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.

Pick your week

48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.

Conditions by week, four weeks per month
Week 1January week 1: ExcellentFebruary week 1: ExcellentMarch week 1: ExcellentApril week 1: GoodMay week 1: PoorJune week 1: PoorJuly week 1: PoorAugust week 1: PoorSeptember week 1: PoorOctober week 1: PoorNovember week 1: PoorDecember week 1: Good
Week 2January week 2: ExcellentFebruary week 2: ExcellentMarch week 2: ExcellentApril week 2: GoodMay week 2: PoorJune week 2: PoorJuly week 2: PoorAugust week 2: PoorSeptember week 2: PoorOctober week 2: PoorNovember week 2: PoorDecember week 2: Moderate
Week 3January week 3: ExcellentFebruary week 3: ExcellentMarch week 3: ExcellentApril week 3: GoodMay week 3: PoorJune week 3: PoorJuly week 3: PoorAugust week 3: PoorSeptember week 3: PoorOctober week 3: PoorNovember week 3: PoorDecember week 3: Moderate
Week 4January week 4: ExcellentFebruary week 4: ExcellentMarch week 4: ExcellentApril week 4: ModerateMay week 4: PoorJune week 4: PoorJuly week 4: PoorAugust week 4: PoorSeptember week 4: PoorOctober week 4: PoorNovember week 4: PoorDecember week 4: Moderate
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of March

March, week by week

WeekConditionsWaterSwellWindRain chance
Week 1Excellent29 °C0.6 m12 km/h27%
Week 2Excellent29 °C0.7 m12 km/h35%
Week 3Excellent29 °C0.7 m11 km/h38%
Week 4Excellent29 °C0.7 m11 km/h42%

10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.

Gear & storms

What to wear

Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.

Wetsuit thickness by month
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
SuitJanuary: skinFebruary: skinMarch: skinApril: skinMay: skinJune: skinJuly: skinAugust: skinSeptember: skinOctober: skinNovember: skinDecember: skin

One suit covers the whole year: a skin or 3 mm shorty.

Swell through the year

The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.

JanJanuary: 0.7 metresFebFebruary: 0.8 metresMarMarch: 0.7 metresAprApril: 0.8 metresMayMay: 1.0 metresJunJune: 1.0 metresJulJuly: 1.0 metresAugAugust: 1.0 metresSepSeptember: 1.0 metresOctOctober: 1.1 metresNovNovember: 1.2 metresDecDecember: 0.8 metres

Amber is over 1.5 m.

Tides

springs 3.4 mneaps 1.8 mneapsone lunar month
Daily tidal range across one lunar month.

Tropical storms

No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.

  • NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
  • ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
  • OBISMarine species records within 60 km
  • IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025

Coiba marine life — what you'll see diving

949 records within 60 km
SpeciesWhenObserved windowReliabilityEvidenceRecords
Whitetip reef sharkAll yearNear-guaranteed
15/22
346
Hawksbill turtleAll yearNear-guaranteed
14/22
218
Green turtleAll yearLikely
13/22
80
Humpback whaleJul–AugLikely
9/22
40
Bottlenose dolphinSep, NovLikely
7/22
28
Munk's mobulaFebHit-or-miss
3/22
35
Blackfin barracudaAug–SepHit-or-miss
6/22
20
Bull sharkFebHit-or-miss
1/22
16
SailfishFebHit-or-miss
1/22
9
Bigeye trevallyJan, MayLikely
11/22
86
Whale sharkMar–Apr, SepLikely
9/22
14
Oceanic mantaMar, May, SepHit-or-miss
5/22
15
Peak Present
Observed window
Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
Reliability
  • Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
  • Likely 30% to 60%
  • Hit-or-miss under 30%
Evidence
Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
Records
OBIS sightings within 60 km.

These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.

Diving Coiba — common questions

When is the best time to dive Coiba?
Go January to March, when the downpours ease — 2 days a month of heavy rain instead of 17. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
When is the diving season in Coiba?
The diving season in Coiba runs January to March.
Is the diving in Coiba good for beginners?
It is better with some experience. It suits Advanced Open Water divers or equivalent, so newer divers should ask the local operator which sites fit their level.
How warm is the water in Coiba?
Between 28 and 29 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in November and warmest in January. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
What wetsuit do I need in Coiba?
A skin or 3 mm shorty covers the coldest water of the year. The same suit works all year.
What is the visibility like in Coiba?
Roughly 5 to 25 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
What will I see diving Coiba?
The most consistently recorded species are Whitetip reef shark (near-guaranteed), Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed) and Green turtle (likely), from 949 records within 60 km.
Does Coiba get tropical storms?
No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
Is there current in Coiba?
The tide rises and falls 3.2 m around the full and new moon, against 1.7 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
When should I avoid Coiba?
May–August, October–November are the weakest months for conditions.
How do you dive Coiba?
Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Jan–Mar.