Brazil has such a long coastline that there are bound to be dozens of fantastic dive sites, but there is one location that stands above all others – Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago off the northeast coast of Brazil. Fernando de Noronha is a national marine park that offers up the best diving in South America and some of the best in the world. What makes it so special? It’s hard to know where to begin, but maybe a good start is the incredible visibility that allows divers to see up to 36 m during the winter months.
One of the most spectacular spectacles in Fernando de Noronha is the spinner dolphins that call this area of the world home. These amazing creatures love to frolic in the early morning hours and are a sight to behold for anyone, and although divers are prohibited from swimming with the dolphins you just never know when you might have a chance encounter. The marine life doesn’t stop there. This protected marine park with its warm currents has an abundance of sea life that include sea turtles, rays, sharks, moray eels, spiny lobsters, and lots of big, bright tropical fish.
One of the nicest things about diving in Fernando de Noronha is that divers are required to dive with one of the dive operators in the area and there are only three operators who are licensed to run tours in the park. This means that the diving is relatively quiet and civil, without a huge race to the dive sites each and every day. It also means that divers are going to be diving with experts that know the area well.
Fernando de Noronha has approximately 26 dive sites with more being discovered every day. Divers don’t just dive for the sea life that they can see, there are so many other experiences waiting in Fernando de Noronha. Caves and tunnels abound and divers can enjoy Caverna de Sapata, which is a large cave with a sandy bottom on which stingrays like to rest. Another exciting cave dive is Ilha de Meio, a series of three caves that are the ideal setting in which to train divers in cave diving. The caves are home to shrimps, large anemones, and the cave entrance houses fish, moray eels, and red lobsters.
Another reason diving is appealing to some is the wrecks that rest on the bottom of the ocean floor and for divers interested in this type of diving, Fernando de Noronha does not disappoint. One of the world’s best wreck dives is here, the Corveta V, a navy warship that is resting in perfect navigational position at a depth of 55 m. Besides the conger-eel garden surrounding the ship and the wide array of sea life around it, advanced technical divers can enter the ship and see the preserved interior. Other wrecks include the Naufragio do Leao and the Naufragio da Porto.
One of the top 10 dive sites in the world resides in Fernando de Noronha. This is the famous Pedras Secas, a fantastic rocky formation that boasts tunnels, caves, canyons, and arches and a tremendous amount of sea life. It is here that divers will find huge rock formations that rise to near the surface and are buffeted by the wave action above. It is also here that divers will see grunts, black margates, squirrelfish, coral, sponges, and fauna. Near the end of the dive, it is common to see sea turtles and sand sharks.
Another of the area’s most popular dive sites is Resurreta, an area that spans the waters between Rata and Meio Islands and allows the currents from the outer sea into the inside sea. This is a great location for drift diving and night diving, but it is also good for beginners. There is an abundance of crevices and sea life and an old anchor to view as well.
There are also many submarine mountains in the waters of Fernando de Noronha, huge rock formations that tower from the sea floor to the surface and are covered in a multitude of sea life that includes horse-eyed jacks, grunts, chromis, and triggerfish. Sharks, sea turtles, and yellow chubs are also frequently seen. For divers that particularly want to see turtles, Cabeco Submarino is a place where turtles meet and divers can often see them resting and eating here.
The water temperature in Fernando de Noronha is a balmy 26 C (80 F) and a 3 mm wetsuit is sufficient for diving there. The water around the island is often choppy so divers should be prepared as this may cause sea sickness and it may impact what dive sites they can visit on any given day. However, all of this is worth it for the treasures that wait for divers in the area that Brazilians refer to as “Paradise.”
Since the island and surrounding waters are a marine protected area, visitors are charged an environmental protection tax upon entering the park and the number of visitors permitted to enter the park at one time is limited to 400. The protection status of the area also prohibits the construction of high rise buildings, which means that the area is kept free of large resorts and the impact that would have on the environment. Living accommodations of those who stay on the main island, also called Fernando de Noronha, are simple and the environment is kept intact. None of the other islands in the archipelago are inhabited.
One of the most amazing things about Fernando de Noronha is that it is still relatively unknown to divers from North America and other parts of the world. This will definitely change as awareness of this site is made known. However, for now it is pristine and relatively free of crowds.