Santa Catalina is a fishing village on the Pacific coast of Veraguas that happens to sit beside the best surf break in Panama. La Punta, the right-hand point break off the headland, works on a reef at mid to high tide and holds a serious wave on a southern swell; Playa Estero next door is where everyone learns. The swell season runs roughly April to October, and the village fills accordingly.
It is also the main departure point for Isla Coiba, an hour and a half offshore, and most dive shops and boat operators in town sell both. The village itself is one dirt road, a handful of restaurants, and a slow rhythm that people arrive intending to stay a week in and often do not leave.
Getting here takes commitment: Santiago on the Interamericana, then a bus or a drive of about two and a half hours south. The road is paved now, which locals will tell you changed everything.