Diving in Punta del Este

Punta del Este lies at the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Río de la Plata, and its three recorded dive sites, Punta Ballena, Jose Ignacio, and Playa Mansa, are all shore-entry reef dives suited to beginners. Depths across the sites are shallow to moderate, and visibility typically hovers around five metres, though it can reach fifteen metres at the calmer sites. Shore entries require attention to surf and swell timing. A wide range of operators is based in Punta del Este, making access to the water straightforward. Species recorded in the area include lined seahorse, South American sea lion, butterfly ray, sharpnose sevengill shark, conger eel, and dusky grouper.