Person overboard in Panama: tides, currents, recovery

If someone goes overboard in Panama, shout, throw flotation, keep pointing and press the MOB button on the plotter. Turn back at once. If you cannot recover them within minutes, call mayday on VHF 16 and dial 911. Warm water buys time, but Pacific tidal currents can carry a swimmer away faster than most people expect.

The first ten seconds

1. Shout "Man overboard" or "Hombre al agua", and say which side.
2. Throw anything that floats: a ring buoy, a throwable cushion, a fender. Each one also marks the spot.
3. Point. Give one person one job: point at the swimmer and never look away.
4. Mark. Press MOB on the chartplotter or GPS. If you have a DSC radio, the distress button sends your position.
5. Stop the propeller near the swimmer. Put the engine in neutral before you reach them. A spinning prop is the biggest injury risk in a recovery.

At night, throw a light as well. A swimmer's head disappears in a few boat lengths, even in a calm bay.

Why Pacific currents change everything

On Panama's Pacific coast the tide rises and falls up to about 5.7 m on spring tides, according to the ACP's Amador tables. Moving that much water makes strong currents. They run fastest at mid-tide and reverse about every six hours. Our Pacific tides and currents guide notes more than 2 knots off Saboga in Las Perlas, hard currents along the Amador causeway at mid-tide, and around 3 knots at Punta Mala on big tides.

What this means in practice:

• The swimmer and the boat drift differently. Wind pushes the boat. Current carries the person. After a few minutes they can be far apart, even if the boat has stopped.
• Swim with the current, not against it. If you are in the water, float and wave. Do not try to swim back against a 2-knot current.
• Anchored swimmers are at risk too. A guest who jumps off an anchored boat at mid-tide can be swept past the stern. Rig a floating line with a fender off the stern before anyone swims.
• Search down-current. If you lose sight of the person, search from the MOB mark in the direction the tide is running.

On the Caribbean side the tide range is small, under 0.6 m. There, wind, swell and breaking water on the reefs are the hazards.

Turning back and getting alongside

Under power in a small boat, turn back toward the swimmer immediately and keep them in sight. On a larger boat, a Williamson turn brings you back down your own track if you have lost sight of them. Under sail, the quick-stop method keeps the boat close.

Approach slowly, ideally with the bow into the wind or current, so the boat stays under control. Stop with the swimmer alongside, toward the bow, well away from the stern. Pass a line or a throwable. Then take the engine out of gear before they reach the hull.

Getting someone aboard is harder than reaching them. Practise with your own boat:

• a swim ladder or platform that reaches the water at every load
• a sling or a halyard and winch on a sailing boat
• a plan for a tired or injured adult who cannot climb

When to call for help

Call early. If you cannot see the person, or you cannot get them aboard within a few minutes, call mayday on VHF 16 and dial 911 while you keep searching. Give the MOB position, the time they went in, what they are wearing, and whether they have a lifejacket. SENAN carries out search and rescue at sea. In canal waters, also call the Flamenco or Cristóbal Signal Station on VHF 12, because ship traffic must be warned. The full list of numbers is in who to call in a boating emergency.

Once the person is aboard, treat them as a casualty. Watch for water in the lungs, injuries from the hull or propeller and exhaustion. Water in Panama is warm, but a long time in it still chills a person, and night winds make it worse. If in doubt, get medical help; see medical emergencies afloat.

Prevention: what actually causes it here

• Moving around at sea. Dry-season chop in the Gulf of Panama and long rainy-season swell both throw people off balance. Keep guests seated when the boat is moving fast.
• Dinghies at night. Returning from shore in the dark, often after a drink, is a classic setup. Wear a lifejacket in the tender and carry a light.
• Docks at low tide. With a 5 m range, steep gangways and fixed piers mean slips and falls between the boat and the dock.
• Swimming stops. Use a stern line, a spotter and a head count in and out.
• Gear. The AMP expects lifejackets in good condition aboard small vessels. Add a throwable, a ring buoy with a light, and personal AIS or PLB beacons for crew on night passages. See required safety equipment.

Your practical starting checklist

1. Brief everyone aboard: shout, throw, point, and who presses MOB.
2. Rig a floating stern line before anyone swims at anchor.
3. Check the tide table, and keep swimmers out of the water at mid-tide in strong-current spots.
4. Keep a ring buoy with a light ready to throw from the helm.
5. Practise a recovery with a fender and with a crew member in the water.
6. Call VHF 16 and 911 early if the person is not aboard within minutes.

Frequently asked questions

The next question to answer

Every number in one place. Read Boating emergencies in Panama: who to call.

Where and when currents run hard. Read Panama Pacific tides and currents.

Brief the MOB drill in two languages. Read Guest safety briefing (bilingual).

Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare Person-Overboard Preparation and Drills.

Official resources

Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.

• ACP: Amador tide tables 2026 ↗
• ACP: Notice to Shipping N-11-2026, small craft must monitor VHF 12 and 16 ↗
• SINAPROC: COEN press note, Feb 2024 (AMP safety equipment for small vessels) ↗