eFoil regulations & spots in Argentina

Argentina's Prefectura Naval Argentina (PNA) is the maritime authority for all recreational navigation. Its Ordenanza 1-18 (DPSN) Tomo 4 on sport vessels defines two board-like categories: Artefactos Acuáticos Deportivos (AAD), described as motos de agua, jet ski or similar, and Artefactos Acuáticos de Playa (AAP) such as surf and kitesurf boards, which by their nature cannot be entered in the National Register. eFoils are not named; as a motorised stand-up craft they sit closest to the AAD category, and that is the regime riders should expect until a Prefectura jurisdiction rules otherwise.

Operating an AAD requires a PNA sport-navigation certificate. The entry-level Conductor Náutico certificate covers small motorboats and artefactos acuáticos deportivos without power limit; applicants must be 18, or 16 with notarised parental authorisation, and pass theory and practical exams, with the certificate valid ten years. On motos de agua and similar AAD a life jacket or DAF flotation aid is compulsory and must be worn at all times by driver and passenger, and a helmet is required for competition. On registration, PNA's Disposición 1053/2026 (August 2026) brought motos de agua and similar craft under three gross tons into the National Register and made registration compulsory for outboard motors of 85 kW or more, optional below; whether an integrated electric board motor must be registered is not addressed, so ask the local Prefectura.

PNA's standing guidance for motos de agua is to keep at least 30 m from other vessels and from bathing areas, to avoid night navigation and poor visibility, and to slow when overtaking or passing rowing boats. Zones are set locally: each Prefectura jurisdiction publishes where PWC may operate. At Necochea and Quequén, for example, the band runs from 400 m to 600 m off the beach (Disposición DI-2018-101-APN-QUEQ#PNA) and minors may not drive. Expect similar declared bands on the Atlantic beaches of Buenos Aires province, on the Paraná, and on the Río de la Plata, where the Conductor Náutico certificate itself limits sea navigation to 5 nautical miles from the coast and to the coastal strip inside the Canal Emilio Mitre.

Prefectura patrols beaches and rivers in summer and checks documentation, safety kit and the 30 m rule; the maritime emergency number is 106. Fine amounts are not published in the sources reviewed. Rules vary by jurisdiction, so before riding contact the nearest Prefectura, obtain or verify a Conductor Náutico certificate, wear a PFD, and ask which sector is authorised for AAD.