Liveaboard Diving in Hannibal Bank
WHAT TO EXPECT ON A HANNIBAL BANK LIVEABOARD
Liveaboards to Hannibal Bank from Panama will provide divers with some truly amazing dive experiences. The area is named after the U.S. Navy survey ship USS Hannibal that discovered this bank during preparations for the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The bank sits along the edge of the Pacific continental shelf and in some spots it rises to within 36 meters of the surface. Due to its location, being swept by the main oceanic currents, it attracts a wide variety of spectacular marine life which is why this dive site is included in some of our Panama liveaboard dive safaris.
At this totally pelagic environment, you can drift dive over one of the shallowest points on the bank. The bottom lies at 150 meters depth, which is actually the top of Hannibal Bank. Drifting at around 36 meters you can encounter huge schools of fish.
WHAT YOU CAN SEE
On a Hannibal Bank liveaboard you will dive among huge schools of giant amber jacks, various species of snapper and jack fish and many black and blue marlin. In the dark deep water beneath you can enjoy the sight of larger predators such as hammerheads, big black tips and the occasional tiger shark. At a depth range of 35 meters you'll see hundreds of tunas cruising in several large schools, with maybe even thousands of them in the deeper waters.
In addition, more schools of large jacks, king angelfish, butterflyfish and damselfish. The wall provides a fish cleaning station, where big fish come in to be cleaned of parasites by the butterflyfish. So the story goes that sometimes schools of 50 sharks were found in the cleaning station area, an amazing view!
Besides the larger predators there are beautiful coral fans encrusted on the rock cliff, providing hiding spots for black and bright yellow dog faced puffers, big porcupine pufferfish and beautiful green moray eels being cleaned by little blue striped angelfish
GETTING TO HANNIBAL BANK
Many flights from all around the world arrive at Tocumen International Airport Panama. There is several domestic flights leaving from Panama to Enrique Malek International Airport, which is 5 mins from our Liveaboard Cruises departure port. Hannibal Bank is integrated in certain Panama liveaboard Cruises.
