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Diving in the Golfo Nuevo Waters
Due to the marine fauna and its transparent waters, Puerto Madryn, which is regarded as the deep-sea diving capital is visited all the year round by divers from all over the country and the world. The diver will find a variety of alternatives of immersion, either from the beach or by joining a dive
boat excursion, hiring the service of authorized divers. There many diving companies in Puerto Madryn open all the year round. All of them offer
the diver and the adventurous tourist the chance of swimming in the different natural underwater parks either accompanied by a processional instructor in the case of first immersions for beginners or guided tours for divers.
PUNTA CUEVAS: This is place where the Indio Tehuelche monument is located. Walking past the monument, there is a sandy slope
from where you can dive comfortably. Its bottom is sandy and full of rocks and reefs which start 300m away from the coast. The marine fauna is made up of bass (meros), octopuses, “turcos” and starfish. It is the ideal place for beginners and those who want to practise snorkelling by swimming along the coast.
PUNTA ESTE: Punta Este is located about 10km away from Puerto Madryn, on the way to Punta Loma sea lion reserve. It is a
small cliff, whose reefs, clearly seen when the tide goes down, are easily reached. They form natural pools. It is a comfortable place for beginners
on their first immersion and for those practicing snorkelling. The bottom is sandy and rocky, with caves and an average depth of 5m. As regards
the fauna, it is scarce but sea snails, octopuses and crabs can be found there.
PLAYA PARANA: Next to Punta Este you will find Playa Parana, a pebble beach with a steep slope, which is characterized by its
transparent water. The wrecks of the former fishing ship “Folias” are 300m off the shore. Bass, “turcos”, “escrofalos”, “ viejas del mar” and starfish can be found there. Its whole hull has been covered by polyps forming a colorful wall.
RIO DE ORO: About 800m off the city shore, divers have the chance to dive around a 30m long sunk ship,the prow, the stern,
and the wooden parts of the ship. The bottom is slimy and it has an average depth of 15m. A variety of fauna such as bass (meros), “ turcos”, polyps, mussel is found there.
Another source of interest is the underwater parks, they have a limited access since they are exclusively used by the diving companies:
PARQUE DEL ESTE: Parque del Este is located about 1,000 m off Punta Este, and can be reached by taking a boat. The bottom
is sandy and rocky and it has a long cliff covered by mussels, polyps, and anemone which shelter plenty of fish. The average depth is 8m and
bass, salmon and starfish are found.
Parque Nuevo: Opposite the city beach, 500m off the coast, the first artificial park in the area is found, it was formed by submerging buses
in the bottom of the sea, which, as time went by, hosted a large number of fish. The bottom is sandy and the average depth is 6m. Among its fauna,
bass (meros) “turcos”, sheepshead, and different size and colorful starfish, octopuses and a large quantity of polyps covered the iron giving a unique charm to the park.
PARQUE DE LAS PIEDRAS: The beach area called Las Piedras is found north of the pier and, 600 m away from the coast a natural park
with the same name is situated. The bottom is sandy with rocks with long reefs and a depth of 5m. The fauna is mainly made up of bass,” turcos”, “ escrofalos”, seepshed, starfish, polyps, mussels, octopuses and whelks.
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Diver's Tales aims to bring you the extraordinary in dive spots around the world. Experience the special, the mystical off-the-beaten-path places not
yet known to everyone. Enjoy!
Our Diver's Tale this month...Puerto Piramide, Argentina
An awesome sight, scubadiving with a whale mother and its young... Experience diving with the Eubalanea Australis or Southern Right whales in Puerto Piramide on the Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. The Peninsula Valdes was declared Natural World Heritage the UNESCO in December of 1999. To be underwater with a mother and her calf is an almost unbelievable experience and scary and emotional at the same time.
Location is the Nature Reserve of Peninsula Valdes, in the most North East part of de Golfo Nuevo. Puerto Piramide is the only little village
on the peninsula and is visited by whales, orca's,
penguins and sea lions who come here to give birth every fall. Around half December the whales and orcas swim out with their young and the
village is, once again, very quiet until next year.
 
We went with Patagonia Scuba who do not (yet) have a website. Our dive master
was Ignacio Peres who does dive with the whales trips as well as regular "whale watching tours". We set out in a boat and get into
the water not to far away from the coast. At about 10m depth we wait.... according to Ignacio the mother whales and their young return to this
location almost every day, and, sure enough, I see a large image far away but slowly coming closer. A huge whale!
Patagonia Scuba is located in Puerto Pirmade, on the Peninsula Valdes and the owner, Julio A. Roca, can be reached by telephone at ++ 54-2965-495030, 495075 or 495003. One dive is about $80 US and will last about an hour (depending on everybody's air consumption). The sighting of whales is not guaranteed.
Best time to scuba dive with the whales is from half November through half December.
Remember to be geared up properly as the water is icy cold and dark
all year round.
By car: You can reach Peninsula Valdes by rental car (rent your car at RENT
A CAR, Avenida Roca 624, Puerto Madryn). From Puerta Madryn it is about a 1 1/2 hr. drive to the Peninsula.By bus:
The "Mar y Valle" bus goes twice/day to Peninsula Valdes and returns two hours later.
Argentina Tourist Office Site
Lonely Planet Argentina :: Online
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