Dive Review of MV Coral Star in
Panama/Isla de Coiba

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MV Coral Star, Apr, 2004, by Tracy Johnson, CA, USA ( Contributor 14 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 1363 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was my 5th Panama live-aboard on two separate boats (Coiba Explorer & Coral Star) and I have received free trips before to shoot videos. However, I paid for this trip and others because I like the diving in Panama. If you like big animals and exploration diving this is the place to go. Schools of barracuda, dolphins, and game fish. There are huge tidal changes in Panama so the diving can get a little rough due to the current. Beginners should keep this in mind. Diving is from 28 foot Pursuits with a max of 6 per boat. They get you on site in record time with a comfy ride, you can even spend your intervals fishing. The Coral Star is both a dive and fishing live-aboard (the fishermen are on their own Pursuits) so if this bothers you, ask about the trip make up ahead of time. Coral Star pays for 1 night at Caesar Palace Hotel at the beginning and end of trip. The next day you fly 1 hour to David to meet the mother ship. Everything went well, but be advised they charge 25 cents/lb for overweight baggage. Food on the ship is good and the soups are outstanding. Air conditioning needed a little work (condensation leak in my cabin) but this was being handled as I left. This trip had colder thermal-clines than I have ever seen in this area (usually about 74F.) but it did seem to bring the game fish closer to the surface. This is unique diving and while I go for the big fish there is plenty to occupy the macro diver. We spent about 20 minutes just watching a small octopus doing its work. This is the only live-aboard left that I'm aware of and this area is difficult to supply and operate in. I always suggest supporting good operations that are run under difficult supply situations because if we don't, we'll lose the opportunity to dive in those waters. [coralstar.com link]
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	St. Lucia, Turks & Caicos, Bonaire, Curacao, Martinique, Cozumel, Florida, Bahamas, Hawaii, & more
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	surge, currents
Water Temp	66-84°F / 19-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	20-80 Ft/ 6-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	[Most dives are on pinacles and led by a divemaster. Max depth 125.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Camera table availble on second deck, but most of the time I used the salon for camera setup. No fresh water bucket on some boats but did have a salt water bucket to keep the housing wet.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of MV Coral Star in Panama/Isla de Coiba

MV Coral Star, Apr, 2004,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of MV Coral Star in
Panama/Isla de Coiba