Dive Review of The Ark Divers in
Panama/Coiba National Park

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The Ark Divers: "An unforgettable week diving in Panama", Dec, 2024, by Richard P Tucker, CA, US ( Reviewer 6 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 13273 has 4 Helpful votes.
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Ark Divers is an off-the-grid micro-eco resort based on a hillside above Pixvae, Panama. Pixvae is the closest community to the Coiba National Park, and almost all of The Ark’s dives take place inside the park. My buddy and I stayed there for a week in early December 2024. First a few words about the resort: it’s fantastic. Guests stay in one of three modern solar-powered cabanas with panoramic views of the Contreras Islands. The rooms are spacious with quality linens, a private bath with a rain shower head, and daily service. There were only five guests total while we were there, so we received a great deal of personal attention. The vocalizations of howler monkeys in the nearby jungle greeted us at sunrise each morning. A short walk up the hill from the cabanas is the lodge, where co-owner Audrey served phenomenal breakfasts and dinners featuring locally sourced fruits, vegetables, seafood and meat (vegetarian options were available). Audrey is a very talented cook and a delightful host. The lodge recently acquired WiFi. We spent our late afternoons at the lodge filling out our log books and relaxing with the other divers—the first drink is on the house. The dive shop is on the beach in the nearby village of Pixvae. We were taken there each morning by Audrey in her pickup truck. The shop has well maintained modern equipment. We used their 5mm wet suits, dive computers (extra charge), regs and BCs, and were very happy with them. Once suited up we walked a short way down the beach to the dive boat, which took us out for three dives (air only) each day. The first dive was typically at a site well inside the Coiba National Park. The morning seas were glassy calm for us, and we saw dolphins on each trip out. The dive master, captain and mate helped us gear up. Entry was by backroll. The first dive was typically 65-70 feet for 50-55 minutes. This was followed by a surface interval on a tiny nearby beach—there are a lot of beautiful tiny beaches to choose from—where we had snacks prepared by Audrey. The second dive was usually close by, with a similar profile, and followed by a wonderful lunch served on a different little palm-lined beach. The third dive was often on the way back to Pixvae and usually was a little shallower. Each dive included a safety stop during which the dive master would deploy their SMB, and we waited a short time for the boat to pick us up. Tanks, BCs with weights, and fins were passed up and we got back in the boat using a ladder. We visited during the transition from the rainy fall to the sunny and dry winter. Currents were a challenge on some our dives, but when we mentioned that we preferred lighter currents the trips were adjusted accordingly. The dives were wonderful. Viz ranged between 30 and 70 feet, and the water was a comfortable 81-84F. We saw sharks and turtles on almost every dive, and eels (big green morays, starry morays, jewel morays and tiger snake eels) were plentiful. We saw a hefty bull shark and lazy white tips were hanging out around almost every corner. Fish life was plentiful, and the corals were healthy. The dives reminded us of Hawaii since big volcanic rocks featured prominently. Looking up, the seas were filled with schools of jacks and barracudas. Toward the end of our week we encountered massive clouds of krill: an indication that whale shark season was about to arrive. We didn’t see whale sharks, but we did see mantas cruising through the krill above us. On our dry day we kayaked across the bay into the mangroves, and we finished with a wonderful lunch of fried snapper and rice at a restaurant in Pixvae. It was an unforgettable week!
Websites	The Ark Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Micronesia, Red Sea, Hawaii, Caribbean, Florida, California, Sipadan
Closest Airport	PTY or DAV	Getting There	We flew direct from RDU to Panama City after visiting family in North Carolina for Thanksgiving, and we flew direct from Panama City to San Francisco to go home. We arranged with The Ark to have us picked up at 10AM for the 6-hour drive to Pixvae. We returned to the airport from Pixvae with the same driver. The road from the town of Sona to The Ark was paved earlier this year, cutting a couple of hours off the drive, and making it possible to access The Ark in a regular rental car.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, currents, no currents
Water Temp	81-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	30-70 Ft/ 9-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	All dives were with a dive master
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	I was the only traditional photographer on the trip. The Ark doesn’t have dedicated photography facilities, but I was happy with how my gear was treated on the boat, and there was a lot of fresh water to rinse the gear back in the cabana.

Report currently has 4 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of The Ark Divers in Panama/Coiba National Park

The Ark Divers: "An unforgettable week diving in Panama", Dec, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of The Ark Divers in
Panama/Coiba National Park