About Panama Surf Travel
Because it lives in the shadow of its western neighbor, Costa Rica (which garners the majority of surf tourism in Central America), Panama is often overlooked as a surf destination, but with two coasts (Pacific and Caribbean), less-crowded lineups, and nearly first-world infrastructure and modes of transportation, the S-shaped connection between North and South America has a lot to offer to surfers. From the Indo-like blue of the ocean surrounding the Bocas del Toro islands to the emerald-green waves at Playa Santa Catalina, Panama has dozens of established surf spots, but unlike Costa Rica, Panama is far from totally explored yet, so if you’re looking to do some real off-the-map surf travel, there are discoveries waiting to be…um…discovered. Though there are many unique surf zones in the little country, we’re going to divide it into two distinct regions: the Pacific region and the Caribbean region. Regardless of where you end up, though, some things are true country-wide: it’s hot, the water is warm as a bathtub, most of the waves break over reefs, the wet season (May to December) is long, the dry season (January to April) is short, and it’s hot.
With at least nine airports in the country, and several flights daily connecting them all; wide concrete highways connecting most of the western part of the country; the world’s most modern canal system linking the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which sees hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of merchandise pass through it every day; and a massive, modern metropolis anchoring it all (Panama City), Panama is a modern place. Though on occasion you may get a flash of its colonial, pre-Canal underbelly, you quickly realize that while it might look tame out the window of your rented SUV, it’s still a bit wild at heart.