A float plan to leave with someone ashore before any trip off the Panama coast, from a day run to Taboga to a week in Las Perlas or San Blas. Fill it in the night before and give a copy to a person who will act if you are late. Have your route, your tide times and the phone numbers of everyone aboard ready.
Fill in the fields below, then print the worksheet or download your entries as a text file. Entries stay on this page until you leave unless you download them. Don’t enter passport, card or medical details; keep copies of those separately.
How to fill it in
Write it the night before and send a photo of it to the person ashore. The most important lines are the route, the people aboard and the time to start calling. Make that time realistic: allow for an afternoon squall or a late tide, but not so much slack that a problem at noon is reported at midnight. When you get back, close the plan with a message.
Who to leave it with
- A person ashore. A friend, family member or your office, who has your phone numbers and will act. This is the line that matters most.
- Your marina. Flamenco Marina and La Playita on the Amador causeway can be told your plans by phone or on their VHF channel. Ask the office whether it will act on an overdue boat; do not assume it will.
- The port captain. A domestic zarpe from the AMP Capitanía de Puerto records a passage between regions, but it is not a float plan. Some port captains ask for one; see zarpes in Panama.
Who to call in an emergency
- SENAN (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval) handles search and rescue. It has a station on the Amador causeway, but no published public line we could confirm. Call 911 ashore, or VHF 16 at sea.
- ACP. In Canal waters, Flamenco Signal Station controls the Pacific entrance on VHF 12, in English, and also listens on 16.
- SINAPROC issues the weather warnings. It is not the agency that comes to find you.
- The AMP (+507 501-5000) takes accident reports afterwards.
Panama tips
- Tides. On the Pacific side the 4–6 m tide decides when you can fuel, land on a beach or come back to a fixed pier. Put both tide times on the plan.
- Phones. Mobile coverage fades between the islands. Add a satellite messenger or VHF check-in for Las Perlas, Coiba or San Blas.
- Caribbean side. At Portobelo the cruisers' net runs on VHF 72 at 09:00, a useful place to say where you are heading.
- Spanish. The person ashore should be able to give the boat's description, position and number aboard in Spanish.
Read the companion guide
Before using this resource, read Float plans in Panama: who to leave them with.
Use it alongside these guides
Float plans in Panama: who to leave them with
Panama has no official float-plan filing. Leave yours with someone ashore and your marina, with a firm overdue time for calling SENAN on 911.
Boating emergencies in Panama: who to call
Boating emergency in Panama? Call VHF 16 and 911. SENAN runs rescue at sea, the ACP controls canal waters, the AMP takes reports. Numbers checked.
VHF, DSC and EPIRB: who actually listens in Panama
In Panama, VHF 16 reaches SENAN and nearby boats; channel 12 the canal signal stations. Setting up DSC and registering an EPIRB on a Panama-flag boat.
Panama Pacific tides and currents: planning for 5–6 m
Panama's Pacific tide runs up to about 5.7 m on springs, the Caribbean under 0.6 m. How to read ACP tide tables and plan anchorages, ramps and channels.
Guest safety briefing, English/Spanish (Panama)
Bilingual EN/ES safety briefing card for Panama boat trips: life jackets, person overboard, VHF 16 and 911, swimming, lightning, whales, alcohol.