Colón Province - Panama - page 409

Playa Maria Chiquita In front of Maria Chiquita. Beach break with lefts and rights,
but limited to big swell.
Isla Grande In front of La Guayra, it's best reached by water taxi. Reef bottom
break with three peaks, rights and lefts.
Isla Mamei Next to Isla Grande, it's reached by boat or paddling from Isla Grande.
Left-hand point break over shallow reef.
Playa Palenque/Cuango In front of Cuango village. Beach break with rights and
lefts. Surfers seldom seen here.
Playa Grande Mainland East of Isla Grande. Beach break with some reef. Waves
break left and right.
Turtles Paddling distance from Playa Grande. Waves are great; unreal tubes, if it is
glassy with a big swell.
V-Land Near Devils Beach in Sherman. Unbelievable right-point reef break with
great tubes when there's big swell and it's glassy.
Activities
Diving & Snorkeling
It's not Belize or the Bay Islands, but if you're an avid scuba diver you'll have a good
time here. In addition to the famous sunken cargo ship and military plane, the waters
around Portobelo are also home to soft coral-laden walls, offshore reefs and rock gar-
dens, some also apt for snorkeling. Dive centers have snorkel gear and information.
The good news is that you'll probably see several pelagic animals including nurse
sharks, black-tip reef sharks and eagle rays. The bad news is that you probably won't see
them very well, especially if it has been raining. Generally speaking, you can expect
about 10m of underwater visibility, but don't be surprised if it gets as low as 3m. For-
tunately, scuba diving along this stretch of the Caribbean is fairly cheap and a bad day of
diving is always better than a good day of work.
Dive operators in Portobelo are located along Sabanitas-Portobelo road, about 2km
west of town. If you're planning to dive, it's best to phone ahead or make a reservation
via the internet. A two-tank dive will cost around US$90 per person.
Two Oceans Dive Center DIVING