Airplane Wreck
Protected Area
Portobelo
Why dive here
With 175+ marine species recorded in the area - including bull sharks, dolphins, humpback whales, manta rays and mobula rays (devil rays) - Airplane Wreck offers some of Bocas del Toro's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 28-31°C, warmest May, June, October.
We love a good wreck, and Bocas del Toro’s Airplane Wreck really delivers a quirky, memorable dive. It's an old DC-3, sunk deliberately, and it sits upright on a sandy bottom, shallow enough that you get some incredible light filtering through the water column. Our favourite thing about it is the way nature has already started reclaiming it; the cockpit is particularly cool, with glass still in some of the windows, and the fuselage offers these fantastic swim-throughs where you'll often find schooling grunts or a curious snapper peering out. You can still make out the pilot’s seat and controls, which is a neat touch. Look closely around the wings and you'll spot sergeant majors darting in and out, and we've even seen nurse sharks napping underneath the tail section on occasion. It’s not a deep dive, maybe 12-15 metres, making it perfect for newer wreck divers or those looking for a relaxed second dive. Head there in the late morning for the best light.
Typical Airplane Wreck Dive Profile
Illustrative profile based on site depth and type. Actual dive profiles vary - always follow your dive computer and training.
Safety Notes
Wreck site - avoid penetration without wreck diving certification. Watch for sharp metal and entanglement hazards.
Airplane Wreck Wreck History
Year Sunk
1999
Vessel Type
aircraft
Cause
scuttled
Resting in the calm, shallow waters near Colon Island, the "Airplane Wreck" of Bocas del Toro is not a casualty of a dramatic crash but a purposefully created artificial reef. The aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, was intentionally sunk in 1999 as part of the adventure race television show "Eco-Challenge." The producers wanted to create an exciting underwater checkpoint for contestants, and in doing so, gifted the local diving community a fantastic new site.
Today, the wreck sits upright on a sandy bottom at a depth of only 12 meters (40 feet), making it an accessible and popular dive for all certification levels. The fuselage is largely intact, and divers can easily peer into the cockpit and passenger cabin, which have become a bustling habitat for a variety of marine life. Schools of snapper, grunts, and sergeant majors swarm the structure, while lobsters and crabs hide in its nooks and crannies. Its shallow depth and excellent visibility make it a perfect spot for underwater photography and a memorable part of any Bocas del Toro dive trip.
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Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Airplane Wreck
Airplane Wreck Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Airplane Wreck, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU) - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (9.35, -82.2) (0km away)
October Averages
Sea Temperature
31°C
87°F · Range: 29.9–32.1°C
Current Speed
6 cm/s
Direction: E (90°)
Chlorophyll-a
0.326 mg/m³
Moderate productivity
Salinity
30.24 PSU
Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU)
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