Cold Water · Argentina
Lago Nahuel Huapi & Bariloche
Clear Andean lake diving on sheer walls, drowned forest and a wreck
Bariloche sits on Lago Nahuel Huapi beside Nahuel Huapi National Park, and its dive schools work this lake and neighbouring Lago Moreno at 765 m above sea level. Shore dives and boat rides reach drowned forests, vertical rock walls such as Cachete, the San Miguel wreck off Isla Victoria and a carved Neptune at Isla de las Gallinas, with most dives between 5 and 20 m. What brings divers here is the clarity of a cold Andean lake, with visibility of 15 to 20 m.
About diving in Lago Nahuel Huapi & Bariloche
Diving here is a mix of shore entries and boat rides. Beaches and the year-round centre on Lago Moreno serve as shore bases, Seagull Crag is 15 minutes away by boat, the wall at Isla de las Gallinas about 30, and the wreck at Isla Victoria more than an hour. The Gallinas wall lies in a sheltered zone that can be dived even on days of heavy swell, and the bays mean there is always a calm place to dive. Instructors are authorised by the National Parks administration and the Argentine Coast Guard. The lake surface is at 765 m, so every dive is planned as an altitude dive.
Underwater the terrain is the draw: drowned forests and large limestone walls in Lago Nahuel Huapi, and rock faces in Lago Moreno that drop vertically at 90 degrees. The deep wall dive in Lago Moreno reaches 37 m. Fish density is low: rainbow, brown and salmon trout, perch, puyen and velvet catfish, plus freshwater crayfish, crabs, snails and clams.
Bariloche suits divers who come for clear fresh water, mountain scenery and wall diving, and those who want to learn: try dives are open from age 10 and stay within 5 or 6 m, and courses reach 18 m. Cold water is the main hurdle, at 2 to 4 °C in winter, so 5 to 7 mm two-piece wetsuits with hood and boots or a drysuit are needed. The deep walls and the wreck interior are for advanced divers. Divers who measure a dive by the number of animals seen will find this a sparse lake.
Best time to dive Lago Nahuel Huapi & Bariloche
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
November to April is the best season, and the town's seasonal schools take visitors from November until Easter. The lake runs at 8 to 12 °C in spring and summer and reaches 13 to 14 °C by late summer. From September to May trout, perch and catfish can be seen. In winter the water falls to 2 to 4 °C and a drysuit is recommended, though wetsuit diving is possible all year and the centre on Lago Moreno keeps diving through the winter.
Best months: January, February, March, April, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Trout, perch, puyen and velvet catfish are seen from September to May. Fish density is very low in these Andean lakes, and even trout sightings are uncommon.
- Freshwater
- Wall
- Wreck
- Freshwater fish
Best dive sites in Lago Nahuel Huapi & Bariloche
- 1
Naufragio San Miguel
Sunken boat off Isla Victoria with a large saloon that divers can enter; darker sections are for advanced divers.
- 2
Cachete Wall
Lago Moreno Oeste wall dropping to 50 m, open all year to divers with two-star certification.
- 3
Isla de las Gallinas
Island 2 km offshore where a pine trunk carved with Neptune lies at 15 m.
- 4
Arroyo La Angostura
Channel from Lago Moreno into Nahuel Huapi, starting along a wall at about 15 m.
- 5
Seagull Crag
Rock mass joined to the peninsula off the Llao Llao hotel, for experienced divers only, with 15 to 20 m visibility.
- 6
Fausto Tour
Plant beds in Pascasio Bay leading to a 20 m wall, suited to newer and experienced divers.
- 7
Villa Tacul
A string of bays on the Circuito Chico sheltered from the wind.
- 8
Bunny Island
Lago Moreno island reached only by boat.
Site guides
A pine trunk carved with the figure of Neptune, sunk off the island
How to get to Lago Nahuel Huapi & Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche International Airport (BRC) is linked to the central bus station and the town centre by local bus 72. Playa Bonita, the training beach, is 8 km from the centre on Lago Nahuel Huapi, and the year-round centre sits at km 21 of Ruta Provincial 77 on Lago Moreno Oeste.
Photos from Lago Nahuel Huapi & Bariloche
DaiMH21 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Buceo Nocturno Lago Nahuel Huapi. San Carlos de Bariloche - Río Negro · Buceando patagonia on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive in Bariloche?+
November to April. The seasonal schools run tourist trips from November until Easter, while the centre on Lago Moreno dives all year; in winter the water falls to 2 to 4 °C.
Is a drysuit needed to dive Lago Nahuel Huapi?+
Not always. Wetsuit diving is possible all year in 5 to 7 mm two-piece suits with hood and boots, but a drysuit is recommended outside summer, especially on the deep Lago Moreno wall.
Is diving at Bariloche altitude diving?+
Yes. Lago Nahuel Huapi lies at 765 m above sea level, so every dive here is planned as an altitude dive.
Can beginners dive in Bariloche?+
Yes. A try dive needs no experience and is open to anyone over 10 in good health; it stays within 5 or 6 m. Courses then dive the lake to 18 m.
Is there a wreck to dive near Bariloche?+
The San Miguel wreck lies off Isla Victoria, more than an hour by boat. Divers tour the hull, then a saloon with large windows; darker sections are kept for advanced divers.
Sources
- Scuba Diving - Adventure - Bariloche - Tourism Official Website — Municipalidad de San Carlos de Bariloche
- Buceo en Bariloche — Bariloche.Org
- Ardilla Buceo — Ardilla Buceo
- Buceo Bariloche — Buceo Bariloche
- Bariloche: la tentación de descubrir el buceo en invierno en un lago de deshielo — Diario Río Negro
- Buceo en Isla de las Gallinas — Welcome Argentina
- San Carlos de Bariloche — Wikivoyage
- Bucear, una forma de conocer las profundidades de Bariloche — ANBariloche
- Buceo en agua dulce: lagos de la cordillera — Página/12
Photo credits
- A wide blue lake dotted with wooded islands under scattered cloud, seen from a granite summit above a forested town by DaiMH21, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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