The sea temperature at Bocas del Toro today is 29.8 °C (86 °F) – water as warm as a bath. The usual October average is 29.8 °C. Over the last 30 days the sea temperature has held at around 29.8 °C. Swimmable all year – the sea averages 27 °C or more in every month. Source: Sea Temp Map (seatempmap.com) – NASA MUR satellite data and the Copernicus Marine sea forecast.
| Month | Min | Avg | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27.7°C / 81.9°F | 28.0°C / 82.3°F | 28.5°C / 83.4°F |
| February | 27.6°C / 81.6°F | 27.8°C / 82.0°F | 28.1°C / 82.6°F |
| March | 27.8°C / 82.0°F | 28.2°C / 82.8°F | 28.7°C / 83.7°F |
| April | 28.1°C / 82.7°F | 28.5°C / 83.2°F | 29.0°C / 84.3°F |
| May | 28.8°C / 83.8°F | 29.3°C / 84.7°F | 30.0°C / 85.9°F |
| June | 28.9°C / 84.1°F | 29.4°C / 85.0°F | 30.1°C / 86.1°F |
| July | 28.3°C / 83.0°F | 28.8°C / 83.8°F | 29.2°C / 84.6°F |
| August | 28.8°C / 83.8°F | 29.1°C / 84.4°F | 29.5°C / 85.0°F |
| September | 29.2°C / 84.5°F | 29.6°C / 85.3°F | 30.0°C / 86.0°F |
| October | 29.4°C / 84.9°F | 29.8°C / 85.6°F | 30.3°C / 86.5°F |
| November | 28.9°C / 84.0°F | 29.2°C / 84.5°F | 29.5°C / 85.1°F |
| December | 27.8°C / 82.0°F | 28.2°C / 82.7°F | 28.6°C / 83.5°F |
| Month | Min | Avg | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25.4°C / 77.8°F | 25.7°C / 78.3°F | 26.0°C / 78.8°F |
| February | 25.3°C / 77.5°F | 25.7°C / 78.2°F | 26.1°C / 79.0°F |
| March | 25.7°C / 78.3°F | 26.1°C / 79.0°F | 26.6°C / 79.8°F |
| April | 26.1°C / 78.9°F | 26.4°C / 79.5°F | 26.7°C / 80.1°F |
| May | 26.9°C / 80.3°F | 27.1°C / 80.8°F | 27.5°C / 81.5°F |
| June | 27.0°C / 80.5°F | 27.1°C / 80.8°F | 27.4°C / 81.4°F |
| July | 26.5°C / 79.7°F | 26.7°C / 80.1°F | 27.1°C / 80.8°F |
| August | 26.6°C / 79.9°F | 26.9°C / 80.4°F | 27.4°C / 81.2°F |
| September | 27.0°C / 80.7°F | 27.2°C / 81.0°F | 27.6°C / 81.6°F |
| October | 26.8°C / 80.3°F | 27.1°C / 80.8°F | 27.3°C / 81.2°F |
| November | 26.2°C / 79.2°F | 26.4°C / 79.6°F | 26.6°C / 79.9°F |
| December | 25.6°C / 78.1°F | 25.9°C / 78.6°F | 26.2°C / 79.2°F |
5-year averages (2021–2025). Min/Max are typical daily lows and highs, not record extremes. (Copernicus ERA5)
Bocas del Toro holidays
Bocas del Toro is an archipelago of forested islands and mangrove cays in the Caribbean north-west of Panama, close to the border with Costa Rica. Its hub is Bocas Town on Isla Colón, a small town of painted wooden houses on stilts, from where water taxis cross to the other islands.
Beaches
Many beaches in Bocas del Toro can only be reached by boat. Starfish Beach, near Boca del Drago on Isla Colón, has calm, shallow water where starfish rest on the sand – look, but do not lift them. Red Frog Beach on Isla Bastimentos is named after the tiny red poison frogs of the forest behind it and often has waves, while Bluff Beach on the east coast of Isla Colón has strong surf and suits walking more than swimming. The two Cayos Zapatilla, uninhabited islands of white sand inside the Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park, are visited on day trips; landing rules and park fees follow the park's conservation rules, so confirm which island a trip visits. The sea temperature on this page is measured at Cayo Zapatilla.
Things to do
Boat tours from Bocas Town usually combine Dolphin Bay, snorkelling over the coral at Crawl Cay and a stop at Zapatilla. Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park, created in 1988, protects reefs, mangroves and the beaches where sea turtles nest. The village of Old Bank on Bastimentos keeps its Afro-Caribbean culture, and surfers head to breaks off Isla Colón and Bastimentos.
Weather and best time to visit
At Bocas del Toro the sea stays above 27 °C / 81 °F all year, even in the coolest month.
Bocas del Toro is hot and humid all year, and rain can fall in any month. Its weather differs from the rest of Panama: March and September to October are often relatively dry, calmer seas for snorkelling are more typical from late summer into autumn, and December to March is the main surf season. The islands lie south of the main Caribbean hurricane belt.
Hotels and where to stay
Bocas Town has most hotels, hostels and restaurants and is the base for boat trips. Isla Carenero, a few minutes across the water, is quieter, and eco-lodges and overwater bungalows are scattered across the outer islands, reached only by boat.
Signature hotels: Nayara Bocas del Toro · Tropical Suites Hotel (Bocas Town)
Airport and getting there
Bocas del Toro Isla Colón International Airport (BOC) is in Bocas Town, with flights of about an hour from Albrook airport in Panama City, separate from the international airport at Tocumen. Overland, buses and cars reach Almirante on the mainland, where water taxis cross to Bocas Town in about 30 minutes, and shuttles connect with Costa Rica via the Sixaola border crossing. Cayo Zapatilla is about an hour by boat from Bocas Town.