Las Grutas · Argentina · Wreck · Artificial reef
Don Félix
The park's shallowest hull, at about 18 m and minutes from town
Area photo: emiliokuffer · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Don Félix is a 23 m fishing boat lying at about 18 m in the Parque Submarino Las Grutas, a few minutes by boat from town. It is the shallowest of the park's wrecks and the one hull not prepared for penetration, so the dive is a tour of the outside, where a wide range of Patagonian marine life has settled.
Also known as Don Felix.
Where it is and how deep
40.8412° S, 65.1139° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The run out to the Don Félix is short: the sunken hull of the former fishing boat lies only a few minutes by boat from Las Grutas. It sits on the bottom at about 18 m, and at 23 m long it is both the shallowest and the shortest of the park's wrecks, a fishing boat converted into an artificial reef for divers.
Unlike the other hulls in the park, the Don Félix has not been prepared for divers to go inside, so the dive stays on the exterior. The hull has become home to a wide variety of Patagonian marine life.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Don Félix
- Type
- Fishing vessel
- Length
- 23 m (75 ft)
- Cause
- Scuttled as an artificial reef for divers
- Lies
- On the seabed at about 18 m
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Las Grutas: Diving runs all year; December to March is summer and the high season, with the water averaging about 19 °C in February against 10 to 11 °C in August.
Dive videos
Buceo en el Don Felix - Las Grutas - Rio Negro · Luis Arabia on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Don Félix wreck in Las Grutas?+
The Don Félix lies at about 18 m. It is a 23 m former fishing boat, the shallowest hull in the Parque Submarino Las Grutas.
Can divers go inside the Don Félix?+
No. The Don Félix is the one wreck in the park that has not been prepared for penetration, so the dive stays on the outside of the hull.
Sources
- Las Grutas dive site — PADI
- Buceo — Las Grutas Turismo
- Es el parque de buceo más grande de América del Sur y sumó una nueva atracción: un barco hundido — La Nación
More dive sites in Las Grutas
Wreck
A 36 m fishing boat at about 22 m with a hull prepared for entry
Wreck
A 45 m hull on sand at 28 m, about five storeys tall
Wreck
A 35 m fishing boat at about 24 m, prepared for divers to enter
Wreck
A fishing boat sunk in 2020, lying at about 28 m
Rock at 3 to 6 m off a dive platform, home of the town's intro dives
Similar dives elsewhere
An iron fishing boat scuttled to seed an artificial reef
Wartime landing ship with cranes and holds, home to turtles and rays
A tug in navigational position on three levels, grown over with sponges and coral
Tug deliberately sunk in 2002, in navigation position at 20-25 m