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Zapatillas Reef
Dive site · Panama
Is it worth the trip?
75Good out of 100 for your dates
5 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 271, good
- Tue 371, good
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 576, good
- Fri 676, good
- Sat 776, good
- Sun 876, good
- Mon 976, good
- Tue 1075, good
- Wed 1171, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 14 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces SEswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 71, good | 0.5 m | 9 kn | 11kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 0.4 m | 6 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 4kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 76, good | 0.2 mflat | 2 kn | 4kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 76, good | 0.2 mflat | 2 kn | 5kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 76, good | 0.1 mflat | 4 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 76, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 76, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 75, good | 0.1 mflat | 8 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 71, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 11kn | 28°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:58 −0.2 mHigh 07:33 +0.1 mLow 12:07 −0.1 mHigh 18:32 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:35 −0.2 mHigh 08:17 +0.1 mLow 13:26 −0.0 mHigh 19:30 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:12 −0.1 mHigh 09:04 +0.1 mLow 14:56 −0.0 mHigh 20:40 +0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the site and its town
Zapatillas Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
4 places
- Cayo Coral 10 km away
- Crawl Cay 10 km away
- Polo Beach Wall 11.7 km away
- Long Cay Wall 12.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Zapatillas Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 14 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Bastimentos.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 14 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 8 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Feb, Mar, Apr and May (about 10 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$684–US$1,300 each
about US$684–US$1,300 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$611 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$127 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$148–US$248 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$168–US$315 |
| Total | about US$684–US$1,300 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Bastimentos
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 35 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About Bastimentos its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$54 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 13h 40m
About 13h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 4h 35m by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Bastimentos · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Bastimentos · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 50 km.
Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week's visibility, the current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.