Punta Deseo

Best months: Oct–Dec

Protected Area

Coiba

Why dive here

With 351+ marine species recorded in the area - including barracuda, bull sharks, dolphins, eagle rays and giant moray eels - Punta Deseo offers some of Coiba National Park's richest reef diving. Water ranges 28-30°C, warmest March, April, May.

Best timeOct–Dec

WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit

Marine lifeBarracuda, Bull Sharks, Dolphins, Eagle Rays and Giant Moray Eels · 351+ species recorded

Water28-30°C · warmest March, April, May

CharacterReef dive

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

Punta Deseo often delivers on its name, Wish Point. We usually drop anchor in the sandy patch at around 6 or 7 metres. It’s a great spot for newer divers to explore the shallow coral, while the rest of us can drop to the full 18 metres. Our last dive here had a sleepy whitetip shark half-buried in the sand, just off the main reef. Keep an eye out for foraging turtles, they love this area for a meal. When the current’s running, we’ve seen schools of bigeye trevally flashing past, a chaotic, silver wall of fish. We’d suggest going early; the light hitting the cauliflower coral in the morning is something else, really brings out the subtle purples and blues. We also frequently find quirky critters here, like the bandtail frogfish, a master of disguise. This site is a solid pick for divers who enjoy a relaxed pace with a good chance of encountering something interesting, from macro to medium-sized pelagics.