Panama City Beach is a popular destination for beachgoers and divers alike, boasting white sands and crystal clear waters. But what many visitors don't know is that the waters of Panama City Beach are home to a variety of sharks, from nurse sharks to blacktip reef sharks, eagle rays, and even hammerhead sharks. There's plenty to explore beneath the surface!At the dive sites, you'll see a variety of reef fish and colorful coral reefs, butterfly fish, trumpet and damsel fish. You can also spot nurse sharks, blacktip reef sharks and eagle rays.
Definitely a great option for diving in Panama. Go on day trips and explore Isla Mamey or Isla Grande. Sharks hunt anywhere where the water is deep enough to swim, but the space between sandbanks is common place for them because the hunt is so good. The four species most likely to be seen among sandbanks are blacktip, spinner, black-nosed and sharp-nosed sharks. However, sharks from the hammerhead shark family can also be found there, including bonnehead sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks and lemon sharks.
Dangerous Sharks in Panama City Beach
That said, some of the world's most dangerous shark species spend time on the beaches of Panama City, such as the bull shark, the oceanic whitetip shark and the short-finned mako.A much more mysterious shark attack occurred in 1959, when a 26-year-old United States Army lieutenant disappeared during a spearfishing trip with friends.
Common Sharks in Panama City Beach
Possibly the most common shark species in Panama City Beach and the Gulf of Mexico is the Atlantic blacktip shark. This species can be seen in the region year-round. One of the last shark sightings in Panama City Beach involved what looked like an unprovoked shark attack by a giant shark.Swimming with Sharks in Panama City Beach
Master swimmer, former lifeguard and Panama City Beach councilman Paul Casto likes to swim between the sandbanks on quiet days. Every year, visitors flock to the white sands of Panama City Beach, and each year they are joined by about 200 different species of sharks.As a result, it poses a small threat, although a sandbank shark is believed to have been behind a rare attack on a 12-year-old girl in Ocean City last year.
