Puerto Madryn is a precious gift to SCUBA divers. Known as the diving capital of Argentina, there is little wonder as to why that is. This is an area that holds an abundance of sites and experiences in a submarine world that is just waiting to be explored. Among many other exciting things to see and do in Puerto Madryn there is one that is truly exceptional and one that will keep divers coming back for years to come – diving with the sea lions.
Diving with the sea lions was once done freely and without restrictions of any kind, but in the early 1980’s it was banned simply because no one knew the risks involved, if any. There needed to be research done and knowledge gathered. After all, we knew next to nothing about these great creatures in terms of how they would act around and interact with humans who were coming into their territory. Was it dangerous to swim with them? Was there a distance that was too close to their colony and breeding grounds? No one really knew for sure. Fortunately for divers everywhere, much more is now known about these majestic creatures and once again divers can swim and interact with them in the wild.
Diving with the sea lions is one of the main attractions of Puerto Madryn. Just a 30 minute morning boat ride will take divers to a spot near the sea lion colony at Punta Ameghino where they can slip into the clear water and await the encounter of a lifetime. Who are the first brave souls to venture up to these strange divers? Well, it may not be bravery, but a lack of experience and a naivety only found in the young. These adolescent sea lions come near to investigate while the adults watch them carefully before joining in.
However, it often isn’t simply one or two stray sea lions coming to say hello. Generally, an entire group of sea lions end up swimming around the divers with exuberance. Divers can find themselves surrounded by sea lions in mere seconds, which is a situation that can only be experienced firsthand to be fully appreciated. These creatures are curious and all they want to do is have fun. It might seem daunting to dive in with a colony full of hundreds of sea lions watching your every move, but these are truly safe creatures.
Of course there are some rules amidst all of this fun. There is some special training that is given by the dive operators and their dive staff well versed in swimming with sea mammals. Dive time is limited to 45 minutes to ensure that the sea lions aren’t over-exposed and possibly the most important rule of all is that there is no touching the sea lions at all. These beautiful creatures do want to play and be pampered by the divers though, so it is hard to resist there playful attempts at contact.
There is more lying below the surface than just sea lions. When divers first enter the water the beautiful colors might attract the eye long before a sea lions come into view. There are the bright green algae and seaweeds of the cold Argentinean waters and there are the other sea creatures to see, including cocheros, chanchitas, breams, turcos, salmon, sea anemones, and crabs. Looking at all this sea life might just cause a diver to forget why they are really there, until a large dark shape begins to swim towards them, causing a momentary surge of fear. Fortunately, that fear is quickly replaced with joy and awe as a sea lion comes into view to frolic and play before swimming off on some other wild adventure.
Even divers that are not strong swimmers can enjoy the sea lions because the sea lions go to the divers. What types of antics can you expect from a sea lion? Well, they like to stick their heads out of the water to look at you, jump out of the water, frolic around you, and zoom past you at lightning speed when you least expect it. Sometimes it’s a quiet encounter and sometimes it is a “hold onto your hat” kind of experience.
Not only will the sea lions dart past divers and do rolls in the water, but they like divers to do it with them. Divers can swim down and do different things in the water and the sea lions will imitate them. It truly is playtime and everyone has fun. However, it might just be when that young sea lion comes right up to you and stares at you with those big dark eyes that you really feel what it is to swim with the sea lions. Of course, that is right before he turns tail and darts away, wanting you to follow and play some more.
There is a debate amongst people as to whether divers are invading the habitat of the sea lions, but as long as there are restrictions placed on how close divers can get to the colony and limits on physical contact with the animals, it is a very nice encounter for everyone. Sea lions are very social and enjoy the encounters with humans, just as dolphins and whales do. For this reason it is wonderful to be able to dive and swim with them in order to create a relationship with another animal that shares this beautiful planet with us.
If diving is new to you or diving with sea lions is something you have yet to experience, then Argentina’s diving capital of Puerto Madryn holds an adventure like no other. It is here that divers can dive at the end of the world, play with the sea lions, and go home with the best of memories. Just remember your dry suit and your underwater camera because you won’t want to miss any of the precious photo opportunities that await you in Puerto Madryn.
Comments
This is such an amazing experience. They're so cute and curious. Don't forget your camera.