Playa La Mina, Coastal beach in Puerto San Julián, Santa Cruz, Argentina

Playa La Mina is a 1-kilometer beach south of Cabo Curioso and just north of the mouth of San Julián Bay, about 27 kilometers by road from Puerto San Julián. A large cliff shelters it, exposing a succession of fossil-bearing geological strata roughly 65 million years old, along with fossil remains of tree trunks and marine fauna.

The name comes from a former coal mining operation that once operated in the area. Entrances to the old mining tunnels remain visible in the surrounding cliffs today.

Local people from Puerto San Julián come here to swim and spend time during warmer months, making it an important gathering place for the community in this southern region.

Sport fishing from the shore is common here, with róbalo, pejerrey and pez gallo among the catches. The beach lies about 27 km by road north of Puerto San Julián, south of Cabo Curioso and just north of the entrance to San Julián Bay. Check the tides before setting out, since low tide exposes a wide abrasion platform.

A non-breeding colony of South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) lives on this beach. A 1995 census counted 73 individuals, while more recent references put the number at 250. The colony does not reproduce here, so the animals use the beach as a resting site.