Islas Frijoles
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily, so treat everything here as planning ranges.
The Frijoles are a cluster of rocky islets north of Coiba where the park shows its smaller handwriting. Boulder reefs and crevice walls hold frogfish in half a dozen sponge-matched colors, Pacific seahorses curled on the rubble, and nudibranchs enough to slow any dive to a crawl - macro hunting of a quality the eastern Pacific rarely gets credit for. The usual park cast carries on around the edges: whitetips under the overhangs, turtles, morays, and passing eagle rays. Guides here switch from pointing at the blue to pointing at the rock, and photographers who brought only wide-angle lenses spend the boat ride home negotiating a second trip.
The moment you come for: Frogfish and seahorse hunting, nudibranch variety, gentle profiles close to the island
Topography: Rock islets with boulder reefs, crevices, and sponge growth
Know before you splash
Hazards: Surge into the crevices on swell days.
Who you'll meet
Frogfish
Nudibranchs
Seahorses
Whitetip Reef Shark
"Charted here" species were listed by our editors from the sources on this page. Counts are GBIF occurrence records: observations logged within about 5 km of the charted position since 1990, matched only against the species in our catalogue. They show what has been seen there, not a promise of what you will see.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★☆☆ · Macro: ★★★★★ (editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting)