Water sports are the attraction on the crescent of sandy beaches stretching from Muelle Storni in the north almost to Punta Cuevas in the south. In these sheltered waters, hazards like rip currents are nonexistent, but at low tide the water retreats hundreds of meters on the gently sloping beach.

At the beaches along Bulevar Almirante Brown, several balnearios rent water-sports equipment and have snack bars and restaurants. From north to south, they are Balneario Vernardino Club de Mar (Bulevar Brown 860, tel. 02965/47-4289, www.vernardinoclubdemar.com.ar), Balneario Yoaquina (Bulevar Brown 1050, tel. 02965/45-6058), Balneario Mediterráneo (Bulevar Brown 1070, tel. 02965/45-8145), Balneario Sotavento (Bulevar Brown 1300, tel. 02965/45-3002), and Balneario Nissan Beach Point (Bulevar Brown and Inacayal, tel. 02965/45-7403).

Balnearios also rent items like in-line skates and mountain bikes. Some operators who arrange diving excursions and other activities have space here; others are scattered around town.

Divers favor Madryn because of its clear waters, natural and artificial reefs, and shipwrecks; most operators do initial dives for novices, PADI certification courses, and underwater photography. Operators working out of the balnearios include Ocean Divers (Balneario Yoaquina, tel. 02965/47-2569, www.oceandivers.com.ar), Patagonia Buceo (Balneario Maminas, Bulevar Brown and Castelli, tel. 02965/45-2278, www.patagoniabuceo.com), and Puerto Madryn Buceo (Balneario Nissan Beach Point, tel. 02965/15-56-4422, www.madrynbuceo.com).

Operators elsewhere include Aquatours (Avenida Roca 550, tel. 02965/45-1954, www.aquatours.com.ar), Lobo Larsen (Avenida Roca 885, tel. 02965/47-0277, www.lobolarsen.com), and Scuba Duba (Bulevar Brown 893, tel. 02965/45-2699, www.scubaduba.com.ar).