Maldonado Department

Maldonado Department occupies the southeastern tip of Uruguay, where the country's Atlantic coast swings from northeast-facing near the Brazilian border to south-facing along the approaches to the Río de la Plata. The tidal regime is meso-tidal semidiurnal; spring range at Punta del Este is typically 1.0–1.4 m above Chart Datum, with neap range around 0.5–0.7 m. These figures increase slightly toward the Brazilian border and decrease slightly toward the estuary mouth. Punta del Este is positioned on a narrow finger of land — Punta del Este proper is a few hundred metres wide — that separates the calmer Río de la Plata water to the west (Playa Mansa) from the exposed Atlantic surf beach to the east (Playa Brava). The same tidal prediction applies to both sides, but wave exposure, current, and water colour differ markedly. Tidal currents at the headland tip run 0.3–0.8 knots at springs. José Ignacio, 100 km to the northeast, is a quieter village whose reputation as an upscale escape has grown steadily. The exposed Atlantic beach east of the lighthouse draws consistent SW swells; the mouth of Laguna Garzón, 5 km to the west, is a productive estuary where corvina, pejerrey, and lisa concentrate on the tide turn. Cabo Polonio is a remote headland accessible only by 4WD shuttle across the dune field — the lighthouse, the sea lion colony, and the complete absence of grid electricity make it one of the most distinctive coastal settings on the South American Atlantic coast. SOHMA (Servicio de Oceanografía, Hidrografía y Meteorología de la Armada) publishes Uruguayan official tide tables. Tide predictions here come from Open-Meteo Marine: accuracy ±45 min / ±0.2–0.3 m.