Dive Review of The Ark Divers/The Ark Divers Scuba Lodge in
Panama/Coiba

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The Ark Divers/The Ark Divers Scuba Lodge: "Hammerheads. Mantas. Octopuses. Panama!", Apr, 2026, by Rick Feinleib , VA, US ( Sr. Contributor 21 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 13817.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We have recently returned from our fabulous Dive Club trip to Panamá! Nine dive buddies spent 5 nights with 4 days of diving at The Ark Divers Scuba Lodge, in a somewhat remote portion of Panama’s Pacific coast near the village of Pixvae, about a 6-hour van ride west of Panama’s capital and 75 minutes from the nearest city. Pixvae is the closest place to get into a boat to dive Isla La Coiba — the largest island on Latin America’s Pacific Coast — and the neighboring Islas Canales and Islas Contreras island groups. Shortly after dinner on our arrival day, our host Mike casually announced, “The hammerheads have arrived.” — the words we were eager to hear! Our accommodations were modern but spartan cabanas in the forest on a mountainside 1500 feet or so above the Pacific. Each morning at dawn, we were awoken by the roars of howler monkeys and distant crowing of roosters, alerting us to pull on our swim trunks and flip-flops and climb the path steps to the open-air lodge, where we took our coffee and watched the islands slowly get illuminated by the sun rising behind the mountain to our backs while an iridescent Blue ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here
Websites	The Ark Divers The Ark Divers Scuba Lodge
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Coz, Palau, Bahamas, LilCayman, GBR, Galapagos, Okinawa, Culebra, San Andres, Belize, Fla Keys, Croatia, Saba, Dominica
Closest Airport	PTY	Getting There	Lots of airlines fly to PTY (check Copa). Arrange with the Resort for a 6-hour van ride to the Resort.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, surge
Water Temp	76-86°F / 24-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	50-60 Ft/ 15-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive guide judged when best to surface based on lowest diver.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	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
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	No rinse tanks or tables on the boats. Hand your camera rig to the helper at the end of dive. ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here

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Dive Review of The Ark Divers/The Ark Divers Scuba Lodge in Panama/Coiba

The Ark Divers/The Ark Divers Scuba Lodge: "Hammerheads. Mantas. Octopuses. Panama!", Apr, 2026,

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/The Ark Divers Scuba Lodge in
Panama/Coiba