Portobelo Beach forecast: weather, water & waves
Portobelo, PA · Panama Caribbean, Panama · 9.555, -79.650
Updated : low seaweed, beach grade C+, sea 86°F.
Veabird's call
Monday at B- is the fair bet, with little seaweed and 86°F water.
March and October grade best at B-, and seaweed is usually lowest in February.
Grades from Veabird's beach forecast; wording by AI (Muse Spark), checked against the forecast. Updated Nov 13, 06:00 UTC.
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Questions about Portobelo Beach
Does Portobelo Beach get sargassum (seaweed)?
Rarely. Veabird estimates moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach here in fewer than one week in ten in every month. Landings vary by year, wind and currents.
How warm is the water at Portobelo Beach?
About 85°F in November. The sea is warmest in October (about 86°F) and coolest in February (about 82°F).
When is the best time to visit Portobelo Beach?
For warm water and dry weather, aim for February, March, April, June, September and November. September is usually the quietest of those, with about 29 rainy days and a sea near 85°F.
When is hurricane season at Portobelo Beach, and how often do storms hit?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November and peaks around September. A tropical storm passed within 86 miles of Portobelo Beach in 1 of the 55 seasons from 1971 to 2025, and a hurricane within 58 miles in 0.
Sargassum season at Portobelo Beach Resorts
Sargassum is rare at Portobelo Beach Resorts: Veabird estimates moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in fewer than one week in ten in every month.
Estimated share of weeks in each month with moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach. Veabird takes the landing season seen on Quintana Roo's beaches (a Puerto Morelos beach camera, 2015–2020, and the Mexican Navy's beach alerts, 2022–2026), the nearest coast with a multi-year beach record (this one has none), and scales it by how often NOAA AOML satellites see notable seaweed within about 20 km of this stretch of coast: 7% of weeks here on average, against 54% off Quintana Roo, so 13% of that season. The satellite share (2016–2024, the top fifth of all coast-weeks, adjusted for this beach's exposure of 15%) measures seaweed offshore, not on the sand: off the Riviera Maya it reads high even in winter, when little lands. Very low under 10%, Low 10–24%, Moderate 25–44%, High 45–69%, Very high 70%+. Beach faces 330°; onshore winds from that direction push seaweed ashore. Satellite sargassum data: USF Optical Oceanography Lab (Sargassum Watch System) via NOAA AOML. The satellite record as open data.
Panama's Caribbean coast month by month
Typical weather, water temperature, seaweed and crowds for every month: the best time to visit Panama's Caribbean coast.
- Panama's Caribbean coast in January
- Panama's Caribbean coast in February
- Panama's Caribbean coast in March
- Panama's Caribbean coast in April
- Panama's Caribbean coast in May
- Panama's Caribbean coast in June
- Panama's Caribbean coast in July
- Panama's Caribbean coast in August
- Panama's Caribbean coast in September
- Panama's Caribbean coast in October
- Panama's Caribbean coast in November
- Panama's Caribbean coast in December
Weather, water & seaweed by month at Portobelo Beach Resorts
Average highs run from about 81°F in February to 84°F in May, June, July, August, September and October. The sea is warmest in October (about 86°F) and coolest in February (about 82°F). February, April and November are usually the driest, with about 27 rainy days each; July, August and December are the wettest, with about 31 rainy days.
| Month | Avg high | Sea | Rainy days | Sargassum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82°F | 83°F | 30 | Very low |
| Feb | 81°F | 82°F | 27 | Very low |
| Mar | 83°F | 83°F | 28 | Very low |
| Apr | 83°F | 84°F | 27 | Very low |
| May | 84°F | 85°F | 30 | Very low |
| Jun | 84°F | 85°F | 29 | Very low |
| Jul | 84°F | 84°F | 31 | Very low |
| Aug | 84°F | 85°F | 31 | Very low |
| Sep | 84°F | 85°F | 29 | Very low |
| Oct | 84°F | 86°F | 30 | Very low |
| Nov | 83°F | 85°F | 27 | Very low |
| Dec | 82°F | 84°F | 31 | Very low |
Monthly averages from 6 years of ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo) for this area's 0.5° grid cell; rainy days have at least 1 mm (0.04 in). Sargassum is the typical-year estimate described above. Any given year can differ.
Cleanup & barriers
- Offshore barriers
- None.
- Public cleanup
- Little organized cleanup; Guna communities clear island beaches by hand.
- Resort crews
- Lodges hand-rake.
- Typical clearing time
- Landings infrequent and usually light.
Safety notes
US State Dept: Panama, Level 2 (verify; Darién border area Level 4)
- Boat transfers to San Blas and Bocas islands: check life jackets and weather
- Guna Yala is autonomous; fees and rules set by the Guna Congress
- Colón city has high crime; transit quickly
Check official advisories and local flags before swimming. Decomposing sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide; avoid heavy piles.
Things to do near Portobelo, PA
- San Blas island hopping
- Bocas del Toro: Starfish Beach, Zapatilla Cays
- Portobelo forts (UNESCO)
- Panama Canal (Agua Clara locks)
- Red Frog Beach
Fly in for the best beach days
Suggested dates are a week in December. Change them to match the live forecast above.
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Nearest airports
- Tocumen Intl (Panama City) (PTY), ~61 km
- Albrook Marcos A. Gelabert (Panama City) (PAC), ~66 km
Nearby resorts
- Cocoplum Eco Lodge Portobelo, PA · 3 km
- Hotel Isla Grande Isla Grande, Colón, PA · 12 km
- Isla Grande Beach Resorts Isla Grande, Colón, PA · 13 km
- Ordovician Beach Resort Isla Grande, Colón, PA · 13 km
- Radisson Colón 2,000 Hotel & Casino Colon, PA · 35 km
- Holiday Inn Ciudad del Saber, PA · 63 km
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