FREELANCE - Bocas del Toro
Freelance isn't your typical wreck dive, and that's exactly why we love it. This schooner, grounded and stripped bare long ago, sits in just 5 metres of water, making it a perfect spot for divers new to wrecks or those who just want a relaxed, long bottom time. We think it’s best explored with a good torch, even in the shallows, to really appreciate the way the light plays through the skeletal remains of the hull. You'll find schools of snapper darting in and out of the rusted ribs, and surprisingly large parrotfish grazing on the algae-covered timbers. It’s less about dramatic structure and more about the quiet, persistent colonisation by marine life – we’ve spent ages just watching juvenile drum fish doing their hypnotic dance among the beams. Our favourite part has to be the feeling of history, of a working vessel returned to the sea, now a home for countless critters.
- Location
- Bocas del Toro, Panama, Central America
- Coordinates
- 9.550000, -78.950000
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 5m
Best Time to Dive in Bocas del Toro
The warmest water temperatures in Bocas del Toro occur in December, averaging 29.4°C. The coolest conditions are in November at 28.3°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 29.3°C
- February: 29.1°C
- March: 28.9°C
- April: 29.1°C
- May: 29.1°C
- June: 29.0°C
- July: 29.1°C
- August: 29.2°C
- September: 29.0°C
- October: 28.7°C
- November: 28.3°C
- December: 29.4°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Bocas del Toro
- Airplane Wreck (wreck)
- Buenaventura
- Coral Reef Labyrinth (reef)
- DONAU - 50m (wreck)
- ECUADOR - 4m (wreck)
- Enchanted Forrest
- IDA P - 9m (wreck)
- Isla Iguana - 5-18m (reef)
- Isla Perro
- Islote La MIel
- Jose Pobre Caverns (reef)
- La Miel - 8-25m (reef)
- LAUTARO - 8m (wreck)
- LISA S. - 59m (wreck)
- LOS SANTOS - 0m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to FREELANCE
Marine Life in Bocas del Toro
Home to 175 recorded species including 166 reef fish, 4 sharks & rays, 2 hard corals, 2 other, 1 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Agujon Needlefish (Tylosurus acus) - Reef Fish
- Caesar (Haemulon aurolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Ring-tailed Surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus) - Reef Fish
- Orangeside Triggerfish (Sufflamen verres) - Reef Fish
- Cortez Rainbow Wrasse (Thalassoma lucasanum) - Reef Fish
- King Angelfish (Holacanthus passer) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Pufferfish (Canthigaster janthinoptera) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Puffer (Arothron meleagris) - Reef Fish
- Bicolor Parrotfish (Scarus rubroviolaceus) - Reef Fish
- Opaline Lanternfish (Benthosema pterotum) - Reef Fish
- Pufferfish (Arothron hispidus) - Reef Fish
- Mulet (Mugil curema) - Reef Fish
- Butterfish (Eucinostomus melanopterus) - Reef Fish
- Beaubrummel (Stegastes flavilatus) - Reef Fish
- Blue Trim Parrotfish (Scarus ghobban) - Reef Fish
- Cortez damselfish (Stegastes rectifraenum) - Reef Fish
- Barberfish (Johnrandallia nigrirostris) - Reef Fish
- Chameleon wrasse (Halichoeres dispilus) - Reef Fish
- Coral Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus) - Reef Fish
- Amarillo snapper (Lutjanus argentiventris) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for FREELANCE
Based on average water temperature of 29.0°C, currents 7 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories