Panama

Panama’s most visited attraction is the Panama Canal, but anyone who thinks the Big Dig is all there is to life in this jewel of a country is seriously missing out. Though it’s barely the size of South Carolina, Panama offers miles of coastline along two oceans, forest-draped highlands, spectacular islands and the dense and mysterious Darien Gap. Divers have a wealth of options, and often head for the healthy coral reefs that line the Atlantic coast. The Pacific coast, on the other hand, offers many opportunities for big animal encounters, especially in the waters around Coiba and the Pearl Islands (the archipelago now well known for its starring role on Survivor).

Due to its privileged geographic location at the crossroads of two continents and two oceans, Panama has extraordinary biodiversity, both under water and above. Since the isthmus is just 50 miles across at its narrowest point, divers have the unique opportunity of diving both the Pacific and the Atlantic in a single trip; ambitious divers can hit both bodies of water in a single day. One of the highlights of Pacific coast diving is Coiba, a former penal colony that, at 200 square miles, is Panama’s largest island. The best diving here is around a series of rocky pinnacles, some of which break the surface while others come to only within 100 feet of it. Because different Pacific currents converge near Coiba, marine life ranges from jacks, snappers and turtles–all fairly sure things–to less reliable but more heart-pounding sightings: humpback whales, hammerhead sharks, and, in winter months, the occasional whale shark.

Bahamas

Nothing compares to this island chain for sheer diversity, from outrageous walls to high-octane animal encounters. Since the early days of scuba, New Providence and Grand Bahama have been on the A-list of dive destinations. As the sport evolved, so did the islands, which now offer an array of specialty dive programs. Name your adventures: shark feeding dives, dolphin dives, wreck dives, diving with military-inspired rebreathers, riding underwater scooters, and diving in flooded inland and ocean caverns called blue holes. And did we mention the reef? With lots of shallow sites for beginners and (off New Providence) a deep wall for advanced divers, these islands offer something for every diver.

Thanks to New Providence’s fortunate location at the north end of the Great Bahama Bank, its dive sites are unsurpassed. The Tongue of the Ocean, a deep oceanic trench that drops to 6,000 feet and extends to the south for more than 100 miles, wraps around the western side of New Providence, providing mile after mile of stunning wall dives. The island also offers easily accessible shallow reefs and an armada of wrecks on both its northern and southwestern sides.

Grand Bahama Island is commonly known by the name of its major city, Freeport. The island is much larger than New Providence, but significantly less populated. While the walls bordering the island’s south coast are accessible to casual divers, depths can exceed recreational limits. Most diving is done on shallow- to medium-depth reefs, where several excellent wrecks are found.

Beyond New Providence and Grand Bahama islands is the true heart of the Bahamas, the tranquil Out Islands. The Out Islands are not unexplored, but many are so remote that they feel that way. For divers, these islands offer one superlative after another. The hardest part is choosing where to go: From the shallow sunlit coral gardens of the Abacos to the deep drop-offs of the Biminis and San Salvador to the world-famous Shark Rodeo at Walker’s Cay.