Dolphin Rock
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Dolphin Rock is a lava rock formation off the coast of Isla Bastimentos in Bocas del Toro, Panama. It rises above the surface, and at low tide the rock is visible above the water.
Average depth is around 19 m (62 ft) and the maximum is about 21 m (70 ft), so there is marine life from the surface down to the bottom. Wide sand channels radiate out from the rock, and the rock itself has caverns and arches to explore.
Despite the name, dolphins are rarely seen. The site is better known for giant blue parrotfish, a large school of jacks, moray eels, schooling fish and juveniles, and nurse sharks resting in the sandy channels.
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Swell and surge can affect the site, so it is seasonal and is only safely diveable in the right conditions. It suits intermediate to advanced divers.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Nurse SharkGinglymostoma cirratumReported here · unconfirmed
Nurse sharkNurse sharkConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Striped ParrotfishScarus iseriReported here · unconfirmed
Banded Coral ShrimpStenopus hispidusReported here · unconfirmed
Blue Land CrabCardisoma guanhumiReported here · unconfirmed
Red Cushion Sea StarOreaster reticulatusReported here · unconfirmed
Stoplight ParrotfishSparisoma virideReported here · unconfirmed
Reef UrchinEchinometra viridisReported here · unconfirmed
ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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