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Last updated on June 3, 2023
Located on the island of Solarte, which faces the town of Bocas del Toro, Hospital Point has good snorkeling. Around the rocky point, you can explore a reef flat and a drop-off supporting a diversity of reef fish species. In particular, you may see shoals of tangs, parrotfish, snappers, damselfish and many other colorful creatures.
Hospital Point, or Punta Hospital, is the name of the rocky point at the northwest end of Solarte, in the Bocas Del Toro archipelago. It is located about 2250 meters as the crow flies from Bocas Town. There are several ways to get there:
We recommend entering the water from the small beach (about in front of the small white house) or from your boat/kayak.
Once in the water, the best way to explore this spot is to swim all around the rocky point. You will first snorkel over a reef drop-off (↕30 ft/10 m) covered with gorgonians and sponges, before reaching a shallow reef flat that extends all around the rocky point (↕2-6 ft/0.5-2 m).
On the west side, the seabed is shallower and the species are a little different. Perhaps a little less attractive than around the drop-off on the eastern side of the point, but with better visibility since less deep.
At this location, the seabed is quite colorful (covered with gorgonians, sponges, sea anemones and sea urchins) and you can see various species of fish there: several types of parrotfish and schooling surgeonfish, couples of butterflyfish, schoolmaster snapper, bluehead wrasse, hamlet, and numerous juvenile yellowtail damselfish playing hide and seek among the sponges.
Occasionally, you might encounter trumpetfish, pufferfish, needlefish, triggerfish and reef squid.
This spot usually has no current, but the water can be cloudy at times, especially in the rainy season.
There are several accommodations in the small village of Solarte, between 300 and 800 meters south of the spot. If you’re staying there, you might consider getting in the water from one of the pontoons and snorkeling to Punta Hospital.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
