Portobelo · Panama · Reef · Wall
Drake Island
Sponge-covered reef where legend puts Francis Drake's lost ship
Drake Island is the best-known dive at Portobelo, a short boat ride out of the bay. Its reef is thick with sponges and reef fish, and a coral wall runs along the island. Legend holds that the remains of Francis Drake's sunken ship have lain off the island since 1596.
Also known as Drake's Island, Isla de Drake, Isla Drake.
Where it is and how deep
9.5489° N, 79.6530° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The island's reef is one of the most colourful around Portobelo, with an abundance of sponges and colourful fish. Parrotfish, boxfish, barracudas, groupers, pipefish and moray eels live along a coral wall that goes down to nearly 30 m (100 ft), and legend places the remains of Francis Drake's sunken ship at about 21 m (70 ft).
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Portobelo: Diving runs all year; May and August to October are the best months, and the rainy August and September count among them.
Dive videos
Diving Drakes wall Portobelo 16 feb 2020 · Submarino Sport Club on YouTube
DIVE ADVENTURE AT DRAKE ISLAND, PORTOBELO PROVINCE OF COLON REPUBLIC OF PANAMA · Submarino Sport Club on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Francis Drake's ship really at Drake Island?+
It is a legend: the story holds that his sunken ship has lain off the island since 1596 at about 21 m (70 ft). Divers come for the sponge-covered reef and the coral wall.
Sources
- Scuba Diving & Snorkeling in Portobelo — Visit Panamá
- Diving Panama: A Coast to Coast Adventure — Scuba Diving
- Diving in Panamá — Visit Panamá
- Arrecife Salmedina — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Portobelo
Wreck
A sunken plane resting off Buenaventura Island
Similar dives elsewhere
Barracuda over a volcanic mini-wall, in groups of five to twenty
A small coral island with a vertical wall, to 19 m
A large pillar coral standing over a 15 m reef floor
Sheltered fringing reef with a sponge-covered wall