Villa Traful

Before Agreeing to a Forest Dive

• Seek current APN confirmation that recreational scuba is authorized at the particular forest zone and time. Verify operator, guide, vessel registration, annual sticker and any diver certification requirement. Public marketing and a January 2026 sightseeing-boat roster are insufficient proof.
• Dive with a properly qualified cold-water guide. Require a dive plan, diver/guide limits, appropriate gas reserve, thermal protection and an altitude-adjusted computer or altitude-aware tables under trained supervision.
• Plan for cold water and freshwater buoyancy; avoid exceeding your recent experience. Boat launch conditions and visibility can change quickly.
• Keep clear of trees and tangled branches; no entering hollow trunks or overhead spaces. Carry suitable cutting/entanglement equipment only if trained and permitted; do not touch or anchor to trunks.
• Request actual oxygen supply, surface monitoring, communication method, EMS contact, DCS/evacuation and weather-cancellation plans. If they cannot be confirmed, do not dive.
• Never freedive alone and never assume snorkeling or breath-hold access is authorized because a scuba operator advertises the forest.

Divers Alert Network guidance: diving at altitude; freshwater diving.

Villa Traful has a Centro de Salud associated with Hospital Villa La Angostura Dr. Oscar Arraiz; official provincial material lists +54 294 447-9011 for the local health facility. Services, staffing and response hours require confirmation. A local recompression chamber, its operational status, any oxygen equipment and road/air transfer times were not verified. For a suspected diving injury, activate local rescue immediately, provide emergency oxygen when trained/equipped, and call DAN for specialist advice. Do not rely on phone reception at the lake or wait to identify a hospital after surfacing.

Lake Traful and surrounding trails fall within the Nahuel Huapi National Park protected landscape. Contact APN for current rules governing forest diving, boat navigation, photography, anchoring, touch/no-touch limits and sensitive trees. Respect the submerged cypresses by keeping a no-contact approach, not removing wood or objects, and avoiding sediment disturbance and overhead penetration. Choose a properly licensed boat, carry out all waste and never feed wildlife. Clean and dry boots, suits, kayaks and boats to reduce transfer of invasive freshwater organisms. Observe fishing restrictions and season-specific closed areas. Stay on marked trails and comply with fire restrictions and mandatory registration.