| |
 Famous attraction of pirates with its galleons and mysteries.
Travelling aproximately two hours from Panama City you will find Portobelo, in Colon province. City from where the South America’s gold was transfered to Spain during the colonial time mostly in the XVI, XVII and XVIII century; very attractive site for pirates.
Portobelo is a magical spot for diving and snorkeling. In the beautiful 70 kilometers coast made up between the San Cristobal Bay, to the north and the Buenaventura Bay to the south, important extensions of coral reefs, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and beaches with incredible landscapes are under development. There four species of marine tortoises nest among them the threated Carey.
Recommended Diving Sites: Portobelo Bay, Buena Ventura Island, San Cristobal Bay, Drake Island, Salmedina Coral Reef, Tres Maria or Tres Hermanas Islands, Piedra La Gallina and Segundo Arrecife, Grande Island.
Description: In the deep waters you can find colonial artefacts, bullets, cannons, sunken galleons and countless number of relics of the time of the conquest by pirates and Spanish armada.
The Portobelo National Park has 35,929 hectares of which 22.4% is marine area. This region has coral reefs all along the coast, it is one of the largest biodiversities in the world and has over 53 coral species which has been classified in the marine area and associated fauna.
There is a large variety of mangrove species that habitat to different species and important sites in the life cycle of others. The benefits of this ecosytem allows the production of food for a large amount of species. The abundant invertebrate life makes the area an ideal place for specialized underwater photography.
In these waters you can observe octopus, snails, crabs, spider crabs, lobsters, oysters and other highly demanded by humanity. In the surrounding areas of Drake Island, the remains of Sir Frances Drake (former pirate) lays to rest. The Salmedina Coral Reef are ancient semi emerged rocks that sunked a good number of galleons at the time. Not far you may find Tres Marias Islands with rich underwater life.
Diving Tips: Coral Reef, Walls, Sunken Ship and Night.
Services: Adventure diving, extreme diving, snorkelling, kayacs, ecological walks. Courses on underwater diving are available.
|
|
