(13-07-10) From the Argentinean Patagonia we are told a refreshing dive in Lago Espejo, in Nahuel Huapi National Park, near Chile. It is winter there and under an intense snow storm they practice deep “technical diving” in the cold waters of the lake.

    This time we go to a village very similar to mountain villages in Switzerland, Andorra or Germany. It is called “Villa La Angostura”, close to Nahuel Huapi Lake, in the opposite coast to San Carlos de Bariloche, 248 mi. south Neuquén Capital, Argentinean Patagonia.

    Our purpose was to do some technical dives in extreme conditions. We are in full winter (August), season for ski, snowboard, etc. in this part of the planet, and the climate is good to do this kind of activities. The weather forecast announced drizzles and/or snow in the area of the mountain chain. Right what we needed: a lot of snow.

    We planned the dives and began to prepare the equipments: dry suits, air tanks and a deco tank with EAN50 for DECO, and besides this the rest of the technical equipment, such as float, reel, lanterns, computers, cameras, etc.

    The place chosen was “Lago Espejo”, inside the “Nahuel Huapi National Park”, a few kilometres far from the coast, with fine sand and stunning stone walls announcing an ideal depth, 130 feet.

    We had to wear dry suits under persistent snow that just at the time of the dive became denser. We couldn’t believe it! God has blessed us with this fantastic landscape.

VISIBILITY: 50 FEET

    We were prepared to discover the secrets of the lake. The visibility, 15 metres, allowed us to imagine what would appear next. We find rocks, trunks of ancient trees but no trace of fish of the place. Checking with our partner that everything was in order, we kept going down by the contour of the lake to reach the planned altitude. There down colours begin to disappear, everything is darker and colder.

    Once we achieved the goal, we began our return copying the same profile until we reached the points where we had to stop for decompression. Always in pairs and not loosing eye contact with others, we passed the levels until reaching the surface.

    A success, the sky was still grey and it continued snowing, and we were completely satisfied for having achieved the goal. The diving, incredible. The mates, brothers in water, an insurance. The place, a paradise. What else could we want!

    We went out with the soul full and feeling like repeating an extreme diving like the one lived the following day. We went to eat something hot to replenish the energy loss and then we went to rest because the following day we had another challenge: to break the previous mark. After a restful dinner and a deserved rest, we looked for another place to dive the following day.

    Sure that Lago Espejo had not showed all the secrets we went there again, but to another point. It was snowing a lot again, in fact it never stopped. Once the place was decided we began to distribute the equipments. We assigned pairs and… into the water!

THE GOAL: REACHING 165 FEET DEPTH

    The environment was ideal: many rock walls presaged that the same we saw outside would repeat inside. And we didn’t mistake. Lakes in mountains are of glacial origin; so many times their profiles are “V”, filed by ice moving very slowly for many years, generating the famous very smooth rock walls that are commonly seen on the surface. Today, ice does not exist, and water we enjoy now replaces it.

    Once again snow accompanied us to level zero. We turned our bodies and from below we could see quite big snowflakes hitting. The visibility was great and the computers marked 5º C, quite cold there below, but our dry suits with three layers and warm underwear were prepared for the occasion.

    As we go down, everything becomes bluish. Large rocks, remains of ancient trees spread on the seabed, but very few fish, which got scared by our presence. The profile of the lake was good for descending fast. Thus, we got the planned level and after verifying that we all were in perfect conditions, we began the ascent to the planned stops.

    When we began the ascent, all colours came back, well, they really didn’t left, but we couldn’t see them. The clearness began to show us that the end was close to us. Loud cries when we went out to the surface. We had achieved the goal once again and the natural environment kept surprising us.

    We reached the coastline and went to take a hot drink to recover our bodies. We prepared the equipments in the vehicles and began the return. In our logbooks we will write about the dives. Many pictures, videos (click here) and anecdotes to remember, but in our minds and hearts the incredible moments we have lived will remain.

    I want to say thank you to the group that has made this extreme diving possible in the Patagonia: Paúl González, Axel Spanjersberg, Claudio Tapia and myself. For all of them, thank you for sharing such beautiful dives. And I hope that you all, from the distance, enjoy as much as we did with the article, pictures and videos.