Mar del Plata · Argentina · Sand slope
Banco Patria
An offshore sand bank from 24 to 42 m
Area photo: FarSouthNavy · CC BY 4.0
Banco Patria is the deepest of the offshore sand banks dived by boat from Mar del Plata, with a sand bottom from 24 to 42 m. Average visibility is about 12 m, the best of the offshore banks, and soft corals, guitarfish and amberjack live on the sand.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Mar del Plata and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
At 42 m Banco Patria is the deepest of the offshore sand banks, with the bottom starting at 24 m. Average visibility is about 12 m, better than on the other offshore banks.
Banco Patria lies to the north, while Banco del Medio and Pozo del Tío lie to the south. Soft corals, besugos, guitarfish, amberjack, crabs, sea urchins and starfish live on the sand, along with the typical groupers and turcos.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Mar del Plata: The best months are September to November and March to May. Water falls to 8–16 °C from May to September, though club boats still go out in July.
Dive videos
Ultimo dia #3 Operación Condrictios. Buceo épico en el banco Patria. · ProyectoArrecife on YouTube
Sources
- Buceo en Mar del Plata — Oceanica Buceo
More dive sites in Mar del Plata
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The clubs' usual offshore bank, with the city's richest fauna
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Wreck
The 1981 wooden hull that started the city's wreck park
Wreck
An 82 m Soviet fishing vessel at 25 m
Artificial reef
The first ship sunk on Banco de Afuera, in 28 m
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A 51 m steel fishing vessel scuttled in 2022
Similar dives elsewhere
Sea turtles that feed around the pilings of a working fishing pier
A wall of sand falling from 20 m to a debris-strewn 40 m
Shore entry to a 44 m floor across a Posidonia meadow
A field of sea pens standing up out of the sand like white feathers