Your favorite beach lake or ocean? Bonus question, diving Argentina?

[USAtoBA]

Hey expat friends,

Summer is around the corner, it's a bit odd for me now living so close to the ocean, and not knowing where I'm going to swim. I know Buenos Aires proper, isn't the best, so where do you like to travel besides La Plata, any other really good beach towns, that are swimmable. Including lakes.

Bonus question, any good dive sites? Hell any bad dive sites? I try to dive once a year.

I searched the prior forms on this, and they all suggested Brazil or Miami. I'm trying to stay in the country. Thanks.

 

[FrankPintor]

Go south, young man. There are several nice villages just after Villa Gesell (where I wouldn't stay), like Mar de las Pampas (my favourite), Mar Azul, and so on, before you come to Mar del Plata. Both Villa Gesell and Mar del Plata are totally overrun by students in summer. None of this is cheap, you understand. And the South Atlantic ocean is bloody cold.

Staying on the topic of not cheap, cross the river, the entire road from Montevideo to Punta del Este is lined with beaches. The thing here is that depending on the mix of river and ocean water, you can choose the water temperature you want. My favourite place is Tio Tom beach, close to Chihuahua, I believe you can stay there now.

I believe Florianopolis, or Floripa, as Argentinians refer to it now, is very nice in summer. Maybe Senor @Quilombo (a word that you should not use in Brazil, by the way), could give more info.

 

[Ries]

Reta, at the southern coast of the provincia, is small rustic, and beautiful. Nothing between you and antarctica.
I like Mar Del Plata off season- say, early december, as the city is pretty cool, without a literal 1 million summer visitors.
The hip beach is supposed to be Chapadmalal, just to the south.
In general, dont go during january, to any beach.
I have a friend who has been surfing at Neocochas for years and years. A lot of those little beach towns south of Mar Del Plata are pretty cool, and quiet.
Uruguay is great, obvio. I like it better north of Punta. North of Jose Ignacio, it gets wild and empty and beautiful.