Reefwander
Palm trees line a white sand beach beside turquoise water on Isla Bolaños in the Gulf of Chiriquí.

Gulf of Chiriquí · Panama · Pinnacle · Sand slope

Bajo Will

An 18–35 m rock in open sand, rated expert to technical

Area photo: Mónica Mora · CC BY-SA 2.0

Bajo Will is a large rock standing out of sand southeast of La Bruja, twenty minutes by boat from the Islas Secas dock. The profile starts at 18 m and runs to 35 m, so there is no shallow ground to fall back on, and the operator lists it as an expert to technical dive. Currents can run strong and temperatures can drop.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Bajo Will: typical dive 18–35 m (60–115 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit18 m35 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

7.9667° N, 82.0333° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

There is no easy part of this dive. The site is a single large rock surrounded by sand, the shallowest ground on it is already at 18 m and the base sits at 35 m, which puts the whole profile deep from the moment you leave the surface and explains the expert-to-technical rating the operator gives it.

Currents can run strong here and temperatures can drop, so exposure protection and a clear plan for getting back to the boat matter more than they do on the shallow island sites. What the depth buys you is size: giant stingrays and eagle rays on the sand around the rock, groupers and snappers on the structure, green morays in the rock itself, turtles passing through, and amberjacks off the edge.

Marine life and season

  • Stingrays
  • Eagle rays
  • Groupers
  • Sea turtles
  • Trevally & jacks
Month-by-month season rating for Bajo Will
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodPrimePrimeGoodFairGoodGoodPrimePrimeFairGood

Season follows Gulf of Chiriquí: Dec–Apr is the dry season with the calmest crossings; Sep–Oct is rainier but overlaps the southern humpback migration.

Know before you go

  • Current on the rock can run strong, and with the shallowest ground at 18 m there is nowhere shallow to shelter — plan the ascent from depth rather than drifting off the site.
  • Temperatures can drop on this site, which matters on a 35 m dive with no shallow section to warm up on.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Bajo Will?+

The rock runs from 18 m at its shallowest to 35 m in the sand at the base. There is no shallow section, so the whole dive is spent deep.

Sources

  1. Diving in Panama - Islas Secas — Islas Secas Resort

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