Coiba National Park

Coiba National Park takes in Panama's largest island — a former penal colony whose isolation left its forests and reefs largely intact — plus 38 smaller islands and a broad sweep of the Gulf of Chiriquí. Established in 1991 and UNESCO-listed in 2005, the park protects the largest coral reef complex on Central America's Pacific coast and sits on the same tuna-and-shark highway as Cocos and the Galápagos. Divers work sites around Coiba and the Granito de Oro islet among whitetip reef sharks, big schools of jacks and snapper, mobulas, and seasonal humpbacks and whale sharks, with visibility and current both driven by Pacific upwelling.

The rules that bind divers

Visitors pay a park entrance fee and register through the ranger station on Coiba; overnight stays are limited to basic park accommodation and permitted vessels. Diving runs through licensed operators, mostly day boats from Santa Catalina, and fishing inside the park's conservation zones is prohibited, with a larger special management zone regulating extraction around it. Anchoring on coral is banned; boats use sand patches or moorings. Wildlife rules cover both water and land — no feeding, no collecting, and guided access only to the former penal-colony sites and trails.

Fees & permits: Park entry fee per visitor (higher for foreigners), paid at the ranger station or through operators; diving and overnight fees are additional.