Club de Yates y Pesca de Panamá is a private, non-profit members' club founded in 1956, with its marina on a concession of seabed off Avenida Balboa in the middle of Panama City's bayfront, not on the Amador Causeway. It is the home of the city's sportfishing culture: around 600 to 680 member families, a breakwater and docks, fishing tournaments and year-round regattas. Non-members do not simply rent a slip here; you come as a member's guest, join, or arrange a visit through the club office.
Quick facts
| Coast | Pacific (Bahía de Panamá) |
|---|---|
| Location | Avenida Balboa / Cinta Costera, central Panama City |
| Type | Private non-profit members' club, founded 1956 |
| Slips | Not published; sportfishers and mid-sized motor yachts |
| Fuel | Confirm with the club |
| Yard | No Travelift; ramp/lift status to confirm |
| Charter pickup | No; members and guests only |
| Concession | AMP seabed concession, 20 years from 2023 |
Location and access
The club's marina sits behind its own breakwater on the seaward side of Avenida Balboa and the Cinta Costera, the waterfront park and highway that run along Bahía de Panamá between Casco Viejo and Punta Paitilla. The original clubhouse on the avenue was demolished when the State built the Cinta Costera; the club now occupies a filled platform and a seabed concession from the Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP). Reports in La Prensa from 2026 give the concession as 101,474.72 m² of seabed, renewed in May 2023 for 20 years.
By road it is central: a few minutes from the banking district, Punta Paitilla and Casco Viejo, with the Cinta Costera running past the gate. By sea you come in across the eastern bay, where the 4 to 6 m Pacific tide leaves wide mudflats at low water. Entrance depth at low tide is not published. If you are not a member, do not arrive by boat unannounced; call the club first.
Docks and who it suits
The club's facilities are described in the press as breakwater, docks and channels inside a seabed concession, on a platform of roughly three hectares of fill. The number of slips, maximum length and depth are not published. In practice the boats are Panama City sportfishers, centre consoles and mid-sized motor yachts owned by members, plus the club's sailing fleet. Opinion pieces from the club's own members describe about 600 members in 2008 and 680 member families in 2009; the club's statutes prohibit profit and dividends, and the club says it employs several hundred people.
Who it suits:
- Panama City residents who fish and want a central, members-only dock with a social side.
- Families with children learning to sail and fish; the club has run youth training for decades.
- Tournament anglers, since the club organises the Copa Club de Yates y Pesca and takes part in events across the Gulf of Panama.
Who it does not suit: visiting cruisers, boats over the size the inner basin handles, anyone who wants a transient slip for a week, and charter companies looking for a public pickup. For those, see Flamenco Marina and La Playita.
Fuel, ramp, haul-out and services
Members use the club for the things a city fishing club does: launching and recovering boats, fuelling before a trip to Las Perlas or the Pacific banks, washing down and storing gear. The club's own 2009 account lists ramps, workshops and storage among the structures it lost when the original site was demolished, and says it rebuilt on the current platform. Whether the club currently sells fuel to members at the dock, and what lift or ramp it operates, is not published on an official page. Confirm with the club before you assume fuel or haul-out are available.
For a Travelift and a hard-standing yard, the city's options are Flamenco's shipyard on Amador and Vista Mar in San Carlos; the comparison is in Panama City marinas and boat storage compared. For public boat ramps and fuel docks around the city, see Panama City boat ramps and fuel docks.
Charter pickup and rules
The club is private. It does not act as a public charter dock, and a licensed charter operator should not plan to collect paying guests at the club gate unless the trip is organised with a member and cleared with the office. Members' guests are admitted under the club's own rules. If you fish from a member's boat, the normal Panama rules still apply: a sportfishing licence from the Autoridad de los Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá (ARAP) where required, size and species rules, and the release rules for billfish that the club enforces in its own tournaments (marlin and sailfish released alive, with video proof, in the 2019 Copa).
On the water you are in Bahía de Panamá, where the Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (SENAN) boards and checks boats. Carry registration, the captain's licence and ID for everyone aboard. For a summary of the agencies, see Panama City marine offices and contacts.
Membership, costs and how to contact
Membership fees, initiation costs and slip or storage charges are not published. Expect an application, a sponsor from among existing members, an entry fee and monthly dues, with dockage and services billed separately; confirm every figure with the club. The club's status as a non-profit under its statutes means fees fund operations and the concession rather than dividends.
One thing a prospective member should know: the club's site has been under discussion for years. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas (MOP) commissioned preliminary studies in 2026 for a "Parque de la Bahía" on the bayfront that could affect the marina's location, while the AMP had already renewed the club's seabed concession for 20 years in 2023. Nothing is decided, but ask the club directly about its plans before you join for the long term.
Contact: the club does not have an official page we were able to open. Ask at the gate on Avenida Balboa, or find the current phone and email through members or the Panama City fishing community. Fernando can also point you to the right person. For how marina contracts work in Panama generally, see marinas and docking for owners.
A short history
The club was founded in 1956. In 1958 the State granted it a plot on what was then an empty shoreline and later became Avenida Balboa. In 2008 the club gave up that land and the adjoining fill in exchange for a revocable seabed concession, and the original clubhouse was removed for the Cinta Costera. In 2008 the concession fee was one cent per square metre; the 2023 renewal set it at 15 cents per square metre, rising 5% a year, and the club paid the 20-year fixed fee, about US$2.9 million, in a lump sum, with a US$5.1 million investment commitment. Through all of this the club has kept running tournaments, regattas and medical and relief trips to the islands of the Gulf of Panama.
Nearby waters
From the breakwater you have the whole eastern Bahía de Panamá in front of you: Isla Taboga about 10 nautical miles to the south-west, Las Perlas 35 to 40 nautical miles to the south-east, and the canal approaches to the west past Amador. Members fish the Gulf of Panama banks and the Pearl Islands, and the club's 2019 tournament was based at Pedro González in Las Perlas. The water close to shore is shallow and tidal; the Panama Bay boating guide covers the tides and traffic.
Your practical starting checklist
- Decide whether you need a members' club or a transient marina; if the latter, use Flamenco or La Playita.
- Visit the club on Avenida Balboa in person or through a member to ask about membership, dockage and waiting lists.
- Ask what is currently on site: fuel, ramp, lift, storage, security, and entrance depth at low water.
- Ask about the concession and the MOP park studies before committing long term.
- Have your boat's AMP registration and your ARAP fishing licence in order before you launch from the club.
Frequently asked questions
Can non-members dock at the Club de Yates y Pesca?
Not as a matter of course. It is a private members' club. Non-members come as a member's guest or apply to join; a visiting yacht should use Flamenco Marina or La Playita.
Where exactly is the club?
On the seaward side of Avenida Balboa and the Cinta Costera in central Panama City, behind its own breakwater. It is not on the Amador Causeway.
Does the club have fuel and a boat lift?
Not confirmed from a published source. The club historically had ramps and workshops. Confirm current fuel and haul-out services with the club office.
¿Qué es el Club de Yates y Pesca de Panamá y cómo me hago socio?
Es un club privado sin fines de lucro fundado en 1956, con marina en concesión de la AMP frente a la Avenida Balboa. Para ser socio se presenta una solicitud en el club, normalmente con el respaldo de un socio; las cuotas no se publican, así que consúltelas directamente.
Is the club moving?
Not decided. The AMP renewed its seabed concession for 20 years in 2023, but in 2026 the MOP commissioned preliminary studies for a bayfront park that could affect the marina. Ask the club for the current position.
En español: Club de Yates y Pesca de Panamá
El Club de Yates y Pesca de Panamá es un club privado sin fines de lucro fundado en 1956, con su marina detrás de un rompeolas frente a la Avenida Balboa y la Cinta Costera, en concesión de fondo de mar otorgada por la Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (renovada por 20 años en 2023). Reúne a los pescadores deportivos de la ciudad, organiza torneos y regatas y entrena a jóvenes en vela y pesca. No alquila puestos a visitantes; los no socios entran como invitados o solicitan la membresía.
The next question to answer
Every marina, anchorage and yard that matters, both coasts. Read Marinas in Panama.
The public full-service marina on Amador for visitors and charters. Read Flamenco Marina.
The private superyacht marina off Punta Pacífica, a short run east. Read Ocean Reef Marina.
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.
- La Prensa: El MOP pone la mira en el Yates y Pesca, pero la AMP les extiende una concesión (2026) ↗
- Panamá América (opinión): El Club de Yates y Pesca (2008) ↗
- Panamá América (opinión): Los veteranos del Yates y Pesca (2009) ↗
- La Estrella de Panamá: Copa Club de Yates y Pesca 2019 ↗