Sea Lion Encounter in Puerto Madryn

My first few days in Argentina are over and if anything, they have filled me with even more anticipation for what is still to come on my Argentina crash course. Puerto Madryn really is a great base for many adventures in Patagonia. But first things first.

After starting my homeless life in Dublin by leaving my room, Richie and the city I have called home for nearly four years, I started my journey with a flight to Buenos Aires. As I will spend a few days in the capital at the end of my Argentina-trip, arriving there late at night, my only thought was to get to my hotel close to the regional airport quickly. With a few hours of sleep and a bit of baggage stored at the hotel to meet Aerolineas Argentinas 15 kg-maximum, I got on the next flight to Trelew in the Chubut-region of Argentina.

My hostel in Puero Madryn is run by a young Frenchmen called Vincent, who decided to stay in Argentina after travelling here himself. This contributes both to a homely atmosphere, but also to a very international clientele. I spend the first day exploring the town and walking along the beach. There were more action filled days to come.

As soon as I was rid of my jet lag and on the ground long enough, I went to the (in this case a bit too cold) water to do some snorkeling and diving. Madryn is home to a colony of sea lions who are so used to humans around them that they find hordes of snorkelers dropped in to the water more amusing than discomforting. For the many young sea lions that were born this spring, we probably are very weird looking playmates. The moment you jump into the water you are being examined and gently bitten by those friendly mammals. It was a great experience, especially because the "lobos marinos", as they are called in Spanish, choose to play with you or not. This is very different from watching them lie around in the sun or imprisoned in an aquarium.

As my addiction for compressed oxygen didn't allow me to leave without an actual dive, I rounded up the experience with diving the wreck of the Albatross, a fishing boat that was intentionally sunk after a fishy load of cocaine was found by the police. The visibilty was extremely bad and greenish, but what else would you expect from a place that is a safe haven for whale mothers and their calves. Also, even with a 7mm, I still had 120 bar in my bottle when we went back to the boat shivering.

Here is a video and a few pictures taken with the GoPro from the diving station - so don't expect excellent pictures, but you'll get an idea. I will post one blog post each day for the next few days. I have written them all and will fill you in on the journey now. So check back tomorrow.