Additional Notes

About Us

In 2003 Scuba Coiba became the first land-based dive center to open in Santa Catalina and made diving at the history-rich, UNESCO World Heritage Site of Coiba National Park possible for the first time.

Safety

For serious dive operators such as ourselves, safety is of the utmost concern and so Scuba Coiba provides training and safety standards beyond the required minimums. Each of our boats are outfitted with first aid kits, life vests, signal devices, Oxygen, a VHF radio, a compass, GPS and a fire extinguisher. Our staff is prepared with a comprehensive emergency plan to ensure the safety of each of our divers on every trip.

Staff

Scuba Coiba is owned by PADI instructor Herbie Sunk, who has been living and diving in Panama since 2000. His team is completed by a multi-lingual staff of PADI instructors guiding and teaching in English, Spanish, German, French and Italian. Our local captains and boat crew are well acquainted with the dive sites in the Gulf of Chiriqui and of Coiba National Park.

The dive instructors of Scuba Coiba have together more than 30 years experience in teaching and dive guiding, have made over 8,000 dives (more than 3,000 in this area of Panama) and have certified around 1,000 students in courses ranging from Open Water to Divemaster.

Boats

Scuba Coiba is the proud owner of two custom-built dive boats: La Orca is our semi-enclosed 27-foot boat and Robin is our 25-foot boat. They are both fully-equipped with tank racks, a flat floor, laddars, roofs and all safety and navigational equipment. La Orca can carry up to 9 divers plus our crew and arrive to Coiba in around one hour while Robin carries up to 5 divers plus crew and travels to Coiba in around one hour and fifteen minutes.

Dive Shop

Our shop is conveniently located steps from the beach in downtown Santa Catalina, Panama.

We offer the following:

• .80 cuft /12 L tanks with INT-Standard valves (*divers using regulators with DIN valves, please do not forget to bring an adapter!)
• Sherwood regulators, complete with Octopus and gauges in BAR/meters as well as PSI/feet
• TUSA, Mares and Sherwood BCDs
• 3mm shorties and full wetsuits
• Fins, booties, masks and snorkels