wreck

Log This Dive

DON GAYETANO CAMERA

Don Gayetano Camera is a site we’ll always make time for when we're in Mar del Plata. It’s a shallow wreck, just 4 meters deep, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's simple. This old steamship is a fascinating tangle of metal, a real character with a history you can almost feel as you fin past the rusted plates. We love exploring the bow, where the structure is still quite defined, and imagining what it was like before it became a home for so many creatures. The wreck is now completely colonised. You’ll find kelp swaying on the deck, and every crevice seems to harbour something. We've often seen spider crabs scuttling amongst the beams, and schools of small fish, usually silversides, dart in and out of the darker spaces. It’s a photographer's dream, especially on a sunny day when the light penetrates right to the bottom, illuminating the reds and oranges of the rust against the green of the kelp. Because it’s so shallow, it's perfect for extended bottom times and a more relaxed pace. Our favourite time to dive it is early morning, before any boat traffic picks up, when the water tends to be calmest. It’s a site that really makes you slow down and appreciate the intricate beauty of a wreck reclaiming its own.