Pick up is normally around 8:00am.Return to Panama City is on average around 4-5:00pm. If you are staying with us at the Octopus Garden your return will be on the day of your check out.One way transportation services are also available.

Airport pick ups and drop off are welcomed  there is a different rate for this service.

Please use the Contact Us Form for more details about reservations, rates and Tour Details.

* Ask how you can receive special discounted Group Rates!

Driving Directions from Panama City to Portobelo are fairly simple. Now with the new Madden Corredor it is supper easy and convenient to get from the Pacific to the Caribbean. Enjoy the hillside landscape while cruzing the country side.

• Take Corredor Norte toward the City of Colon. Look for the signs that are above the toll boths they will point you in the right direction.
• Make Sure to take the COLON exit. This will put you in the right direction on the corredor. You will continue on Corredor Norte until you come to a split in the road. Left will say Autopista or Cuota and the other sign will say to the right Chilibri.
• Stay LEFT where it says Autopista this is now the new Corredor Madden highway. You will follow this road to the very end. There is one toll booth that you must pay $2.30
• Once the Corredor Madden clearly comes to an end and meets back up with the Panamerican Highway which is the famous road that goes from on side of panamas coast to the other. Once you get here you are in the town of Sabenitas. It is not far now only about 20minutes .
• In Sabenitas you will take a RIGHT at the Super Market El Rey.
• This is the only tricky part you go straight on this road until you get to the Portobelo turn. There are no real signs for this turn but you will notice that all the cars are heading on this direction.  TURN RIGHT to stay on the main road.
• Continue on the road to Portobelo this road weaves along the coast. The Octopus Garden will be on the LEFT hand side of the road built over the water. Keep an eye out for our dive flag painted on front of the building and our oversized wooden deck that is built over the water.

You have made it to your destination the Octopus Garden Hotel & Dive Resort!

Come join the premier dive company located on the warm blue waters of the Caribbean. Owned and operated by seasoned PADI professionals dedicated to ensuring your safety and enjoyment. We are also committed to help protect our local reefs and wildlife. We offer the highest quality diving offered here at the Portobelo Underwater National Park.

Come learn to scuba dive with Panama’s most experienced, safe and Professional PADI Dive Resort. Our PADI instructors offer courses ranging from bubble maker to divemaster; discover scuba today!

We offer lodging at our beautiful oceanfront dive resort on the Caribbean, The Octopus Garden Hotel & Dive Resort. All rooms Are equipped with comfortable pillow top mattresses, A/C and private bathrooms. Please feel free to relax in our hammocks, have a dip in the jacuzzi or bathe in the sun on our beautiful wood deck built over the ocean. We also offer several tours that are enjoyable for the whole family.

Hungry? Try our amazing Caribbean style seafood restaurant overlooking the Caribbean Ocean. Our house specialty is our famous Octopus simmered in coconut milk until tender. Or try one of our mouth watering fresh fruit smoothies!

A transportation service may be provided with advanced notice. We have a comfortable, on time, air-conditioned transpiration to and from Panama City or Colon. We can also arrange airport pick ups at either Tocumen International Airport or Albrook Regional Airport. If you would like to arrange transportation please contact us for further details.

Our team consists of world class professionals ready to assist you with all you’re diving needs.  We pride ourselves on our safety record.

The historical little village of Portobelo, once called the “richest city” in the world, is the home of Panama Divers. Our PADI facility The Octopus Garden Hotel & Dive Resort is nestled right at the waters edge in the calm sheltered bay on the beautiful blue Caribbean coast just minutes from our pristine dive sites.

Search the Caribbean waters for countless sunken galleons and see what treasures might be waiting for you. Explore the colorful untouched reefs or extraordinary sea life. Let a drift dive give you a new sense of freedom. Experience the distinctive world of night diving. Come see what adventures the Caribbean waters of Portobelo underwater national park have in store for you!

The Panama Divers team is dedicated to the safety and experience of your dives. We are ready and waiting to help you familiarize yourself with the best of Portobelo’s Caribbean coast in comfort and style. Working closely with our divers to insure the best experience possible.

We offer PADI certified Scuba Instruction for all skill levels. The “Discover Scuba” course is great for beginners and is a chance for people to try scuba diving in a safe environment with seasoned professionals to guarantee an optimal experience. Please see our PADI course page to find the package that’s right for you.

Here at panama divers we can tailor each program to help optimize your learning experience. We teach you in a safe and controlled environment. Your experience is important to us.

For the more experienced divers we can help you enjoy an ideal dive vacation in the warm Caribbean waters or help you advance in your PADI dive career. For more information on your advancement opportunities please see our PADI Education page.

More general info about the Panama Divers Team see our individual bios under the Meet the Staff page located below the Contact Us tab. .

Here at Panama Divers we can tailor each program to help optimize your learning. We teach you in a safe and controlled environment. Your experience is important to us.

What you will Learn:

You learn the basics you need to dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional. One thing you’ll learn is that you really can breathe underwater and whether you like doing that or not. You will:

• Learn what wearing scuba equipment feels like and how easy it is to move around underwater while wearing it
• Find out what it’s like to breathe underwater and learn whether you can be comfortable there
• Learn some basic skills and safety rules that will carry over to your full scuba certification course when you take the next step

The Scuba Gear You Use

All the equipment you will need is included in a Discover Scuba Diving experience. You’ll use all the basic scuba gear including a mask , snorkel and fins, a buoyancy compensating jacket that also carries your scuba tank, a weight belt, a scuba regulator to breathe from and instrumentation to monitor depth and air supply. You might also choose to wear a scuba wetsuit or shorty depending on your preferences during your Discover Scuba Diving program.

The Learning Materials You Need

• Just your willingness to learn and undivided attention

Prerequisites

• To take Discover Scuba Diving, you must be:
  At least 10 years old

Your Next Adventure

Once you complete a Discover Scuba Diving program, you’ll want to check out:

1. Open Water Course
2. Advanced Open Water Course

**Ask how the skills you learn during your Discover Scuba Diving experience may be credited toward the full PADI Open Water Diver certification.

You develop basic scuba skills by scuba diving a body of water with pool-like conditions. Here you’ll learn everything from setting up your scuba gear to how to easily get water out of your scuba mask without surfacing. You’ll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air or replacing your scuba mask. Plus, you may play some games, make new friends and have a great time. There are four open water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these four dives, you attain the skills you need to become a certified PADI diver.

**The license will not be given until both portions of the course are complete.

What You Learn

There are two basic parts to this course academic and practical.

• The academic portion  or “book knowledge” can be completed through PADI’s Elearning online course. “Learning the lingo” During the first phase of your padi open water diver scuba certification, you develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best scuba gear and what to consider when planning dives.
• The Practical portion or “dive skills” will be completed  with Panama Divers during 4 open water dives over the course of two days. This is what it’s all about – diving.

If you’ve tried diving through a Discover Scuba Diving experience, the skills you learned may be credited towards a portion of the full PADI Open Water Diver course certification.

Prerequisites
To enroll in the PADI Open Diver course or Junior Open Water Diver course, you must

• Be 10 years or older (PADI eLearning requires an extra registration step for students under 13 years due to international internet laws

The Fun Part

The fun part about this course is . . . well, just about all of it because learning to dive is incredible. You breathe underwater for the first time (something you’ll never forget) and learn what you need to know to become a certified diver.

The Scuba Gear You Use

In the PADI Open Water Diver course, you learn to use basic scuba gear including a dive compass and standard air gauge, and standard accessories.

Check with your local dive shop about the gear you’ll use during this course. You can find most everything at the scuba diving shop in your area.

The Learning Materials You Need

ELearning is the most convenient option, you may also chose a book and DVD package or a multimedia DVD-ROM.

PADI’s Open Water Diver materials cover what you need to know about basic scuba diving skills, terminology and safety procedures. For each concept you’ll read a description and watch a video demonstration. Then you’ll jump in the pool (or pool-like environment) to practice these skills with your instructor. Later, as a certified diver, use the course materials as a reference guide for future diving adventures and to review what you learned.

Note: Enroll in the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online for immediate computer-based access to the manual and video integrated into seamless, guided online learning.

Start Now

Exploration, Excitement, Experiences. They’re what the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about. And no, you don’t have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed so you can go straight into it after the PADI Open Water Diver course. The Advanced Open Water Diver course helps you increase your confidence and build your scuba skills so you can become more comfortable in the water. This is a great way to get more dives under your belt while continuing to learn under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. This course builds on what you’ve learned and develops new capabilities by introducing you to new activities and new ways to have fun scuba diving. 
You’ll hone your skills by completing five adventure dives that introduce you to:

• Underwater navigation
• Deeper water diving  (typically anywhere from 18-30 metres/ 60-130 feet)
• A sampler of three more Adventure Dives of your choice (wreck, boat and/or night) 

Prerequisites

To take this course, you must be:

• A PADI Open Water Diver  (or qualifying certification from another training organization)
• 15 years old (12 for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver)

Start the Advanced Open Water Diver Course Online
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is part of PADI eLearning®. The Advanced Open Water Diver Course Online gets you started right now with the background information you need for the seven of the most popular Adventure Dives.Start Now!

What You Learn

The knowledge and skills you get in the Advanced Open Water Diver course vary with your interest and the adventures you have, but include

• Practical aspects of deep diving
• Physiological effects of deeper scuba diving.
• More ways to use your underwater compass
• How to navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time
• How to better use your dive computer and electronic Recreational Dive Planner^TM (eRDP^TM)
• And much, much more, depending on the Adventure Dives you choose

There are two basic parts to this course academic and practical.

1. The academic portion can be completed through PADI’s Elearning online course. With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres/130 feet. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres/60 feet. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is no deeper than 12 metres/40 feet where the water’s warmer and the colors are brighter.
2. The Practical portion or “dive skills” will be completed  with Panama Divers during 5 open water dives over the course of two days. This is what it’s all about – diving.

** Make sure to “affiliate” with PANAMA DIVERS diving out of Portobelo Panama when signing up for your elearning courses that why Panama Divers get send notification of your enrollement and completion of the online program of PADI’s Elearning Courses.

The Scuba Gear You Use

All the equipment you will need is provided to you  in your Advanced Open Water Course experience. You’ll use all the basic scuba gear including a mask , snorkel and fins, a buoyancy compensating jacket that also carries your scuba tank, a weight belt, a scuba regulator to breathe from and instrumentation to monitor depth and air supply. You might also choose to wear a scuba wetsuit or shorty depending on your preferences during your Diving program.

The Learning Materials You Need

All Materials needed to compete the knowledge quizzes and final exam will be provided to you when you sign up for PADI’s Elearning program online.

Your Next Adventure

After you’ve completed your Advanced Open Water Diver course, you might want to try these courses next:

1. Specialty Courses
2. Rescue Course