YemayaPuerto Mutis / Panama City

The Yemaya is a sturdy livebaoard vessel with a steel hull. She offers regular dive cruises to Cocos Island (belonging to Costa Rica), Coiba Island in Panama, and to Malpelo Island in Colombia. Yemaya's is Puerto Mutis on the west coast of Panama. All trips are from/to from Panama.

The 38 (125 feet) meter long Yemaya accommodates a maximum of 16 guests in 8 double/twin cabins. On the upper deck there are two master cabins with double beds. These cabins are spacious and have windows with beautiful views and a private bathroom with shower and toilet.

Two standard cabins on the main deck have bunk beds and large windows, a private bathroom with shower and toilet.

The other 4 standard cabins have two separate beds and two cabins share a bathroom. All cabins on Yemaya are air-conditioned and all bathrooms are equipped with hot and cold showers.

The interior of Yemaya fully air conditioned. The salon has comfortable chairs and couches, a large plasma television with DVD player and surround sound system. The meals are a mix of local and international dishes. Meals are served buffet style and offer a healthy, balanced diet with fish, meat, chicken, along with other fresh local produce, fruits, vegetables and tropical fruits and fresh juices.

US Coast Guard safety standards are met stringently on board. Plenty of oxygen and first aid equipment is on board.

Three to four dives will be offered per day. The diving is done from the two dinghies. The Yemaya has 12 liter (80 cu.ft.) aluminium tanks on board, with INT connection. They have some with DIN adapters on board, but it is always a good ide to bring your own if you need it. Nitrox is available for certified Nitrox divers at extra cost. Rental dive equipment is available, but has to be booked in advance.

Yemaya's excursions visit remote off shore locations. All divers must be confident to dive in strong currents.

In addition to Yemaya's excellent safety management, each diver will now be equipped with the new "Nautilus Life Line" GPS radios. This makes drift dives in the open ocean even more safe and fun!

The water temperatures are ranging from 29°C (84°F) on the surface to 17°C (63°F) in isolated cold currents. We recommend a 5-7 mm wetsuit. Being out in the open sea can lead to significant movements of the vessel, this applies to the actual cruising and partly also for the anchorage in Malpelo. Guests who are prone to seasickness should take appropiate seasickness medication with them.

Cocos & Malpelo
The dive sites of Cocos & Malpelo are world renowned for schools of big fish, and often large schools of hammerhead sharks. In Cocos, divers can often observe silver tip sharks and manta rays. Schools of up to 500 silky sharks have been spotted off Malpelo. For more details about the diving, please read the diving section under Cocos Island. This section also contains an awesome video link.

Coiba Island
In the waters of Coiba Island, whale sharks and white tip sharks are quite often spotted. Numbers are smaller then at Cocos or Malpelo, but sightings are consistent. The occasional black tip, hammerhead and bull shark have also been around. But what's really special about Coiba are the great schools of stingrays, barracudas, groupers, snappers and tunas.

Every year between July and November, Humpback Whales visit the warmer waters of Coiba to mate and give birth to their calves. This is a great time join Yemaya expeditions to Coiba combining good diving and whale watching!

Yemaya offers great service and variety in destinations. If you are after spectacular diving experiences in Malpelo, Cocos Islands or Cobia, Yemaya is a good choice to explore diving in unspoilt nature in great comfort.