Surfing and Snorkeling Beaches of Panama

Like the beaches in any other part of the world there are different beaches for different types of activities.

One of the most popular beach sports in Panama is surfing and the most popular beaches for surfing are Punta Barco, El Palmar, Playa Venao and Rio Mar.

Besides these, Farallon and Coronado would also be good choices if you are planning to enjoy the peace and solitude of the beaches there.

The first decent beach for surfing on the Pacific side starts about fifty miles upshore from Panama City, after that there are plenty of choices but any closer and you are in the polluted waters near the city.

Enjoying the Caribbean and Pacific beaches are a favorite pastime of the residents and also the tourists visiting Panama.

Both coasts have many idyllic beaches lined with tall green palm trees, crystal clear waters, abundant coral reefs and white sand.

The ideal spots for scuba diving and snorkeling would be Bocas Del Toro and San Blas, which also means these are not the best places for surfing.

The Pacific beaches stretch from Farallon to Punta Chame covering a distance of about 80 kilometers. There are plenty of resorts, hotels, and sports facilities for foreigners looking for a place to stay and supplies.

The North Shore of Panama is the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the South side is PAcific Ocean, both sides offer a connoisseur’s pick of beaches both on the offshore islands and also on the mainland.

The beaches on the Pacific side are best for surfing and they stretch for about 40 miles starting just North of the city. There are numerous small islands just offshore like Contadora, San Jose, Taboga, Taborcillo, Azuero and also Chiriqui.

One of the longest and most popular beaches is Barqueta Beach which is 28 kilometers long. The beaches on the Pacific side have nice waves for surfing and on Contadora, even the low surf is pretty impressive.

On the Atlantic side just south of the Duty Free Zone you can take a small panga boat to Isla Grande which is just a few hundred meters offshore.

This is a very unique little island, on one side is a beautiful resort and just a short walk through a tropical jungle and over a hill is a quaint little fishing village. Since this is such a small little island (despite it’s name Isla Grande) there are no cars at all, which makes for a really nice place to walk around.

Panama has beautiful beaches on both the North and South side, lots of choices and plenty of resorts to stay in and shops to buy supplies from. Just stay away from the city if you plan on spending time in the ocean :)