dive Brazil

[whodunit68]

I just got an opportunity that would take me to Brazil to live - for work. I'm unattached so I'm strongly considering. One of the issues, however, is that I'm a diver. I'm diving at every opportunity - every weekend and some days in between. I think I've learned that there's not a lot in the way of caves in Brazil but maybe the saltwater diving makes up for it. I'm not looking for the best spots, I'm looking for spots that one can dive every week at least and enjoy it. Do they exist?
I did some diving outside of Rio in Arraial do Cabo, Angra dos Reis, and Cabo Frio. Are these the places? I think they were each about 2 hours outside of Rio.
So, the question is...where's the diving?
I, of course, know about Fernando de Noronha....that's vacation spot. I'm talking about close to where one could live.
Thanks!
Steve

[stu_in_fl]

Buzios is also about 2hrs from Rio. Also for longer trips - the Abrolhos in Bahia. Salvador has diving and is a fun place to live but Rio is a better place to work (and is also a lot of fun)..not sure about South of Rio in Santa Caterina (Florianopolis etc.) - i never made it that far south...

[whodunit68]

thanks....I did go to Buzios as well. I have work - only requirement is I can get to an airport reasonably easily.
Salvador - where's that?

[stu_in_fl]

Salvador, Bahia - NE Brazil on the coast....lots of fun ! It's about 750 miles north of Rio. It is widely thought of as the best carnival in Bazil (in Rio you watch carnical, in Savdor youre part of it). I spent 18 months there, and about 6 in Rio. It is a poorer place with some dangers (like most of South/Latin America) but same as anywhere, you stay away from places people tell you not to go and don't flash lots of $$ or expensive things and you'll be fine.

further North you have things like Recife and Natal - I didn't go further north than Salvador, but I hear thise places are great as well. Natal is close to Ferndando de Naronha. All have airports ofr easy travel within Brazil - most international flights go via Sao Paulo or Rio (a couple go direct to regional aurports but more infrequently).

[whodunit68]

ok....any other tips on good dive spots in Brazil? Do people dive near Sao Paulo? Rio? Where else should I look for info/tips? Thanks Stu_in_fl and also thanks in advance to anyone who offers any tips.

[thevalkyry]

I've only done the south - Arvoredo off Floripa. It's pretty shallow - less than 100 ft and vis is around 60ish feet. But loads of turtles, rays, occasional dolphins, and winter can bring the odd lost penguin. But I would say north is your best bet.

Havent been to Recife but it is the wreck capital of Brasil (link on this page - great dive site map): Atlantis Divers (http://www.atlantisdivers.com.br/)

Also, my buddy who owns a shop in Porto Allegre recently told me about this liveaboard: ANTARES LIVE ABOARD (http://www.antaresparaty.com.br/)

Hope this helps! :)

[whodunit68]

this is very helpful, thanks!

[ericramos]

Hi
Near to São Paulo, you can dive at "Laje de Santos". It's far from coast (1 hour and 45 minutes in a speedboat). The vis is around 60 feet and often you can find Manta Ray there.

I dove at Ubatuba, SP, too. But the only good thing diving in Ubatuba is the warm and CALM water (diferent of Laje de Santos). The visibility is arround 15 to 18 feet

Besides Recife, if you like wrecks, you can go to Vitória, Espírito Santo.

Once you know Fernando de Noronha, a good choice to live is Recife, Pernambuco. You have good place to dive on weekend, and it's near to Noronha (1,5 hour by air plane). But ofcourse, depends on what you work with.

[caju divers]

Hey Steve, diving in the North of Brazil is better because of the temperature of the water(28 degrees year round)! I have a dive center in Natal, the closest coastal city to Noronha, and I have to say that the diving is really great! We have a lot of marine life even though there aren´t any wrecks around. Recife is great as well, but with greatly reduced visibility because of the river spilling into the sea. I have to agree that salvador is a great place to live, and it also has some good diving. I think that cites anywhere along the Brazilian coast will give you some really great diving. My advice is go for it! I´m from Canada and I´ll never go back to minus 40!
Check out some of our diving pics in our photo gallery if you´re interested!

[whodunit68]

hey Caju,
Well it's confirmed, I'm going to Sao Paulo. It would be great if you could PM me a link to your site?
I'm excited about going to Brazil though I wish I'd be staying in a more diver-friendly area.
Steve

[vintagediver]

Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul for caves with very unique formations.

[ericramos]

Hi Steve,
I live in São Paulo, and the last weekend I dove at Paraty, RJ. It was a great dive, with calm and warm water (30ºC). Paraty is located at south of Rio de Janeiro State (around 4 hours far from São Paulo - by car). The visibility was not so good (around 30 feet), but the entire trip to Paraty is a great trip, once you have nice beachs, a great night life, and for those who likes foto, (above and underwater), Paraty is a paradise...

I hope you enjoy my country!

Éric Ramos

[caju divers]

Hey Steve,
Eric is right, the diving near and around Sao Paolo is not as bad as you would think! There are quite a few absolutely stunning places to visit and great dive spots to see while you're there. The best place is Lage dos santos, about 3 hours away (I guess this depends where you live in Sao Paolo as its the size of a small country itself...!). I own a dive center up North in Rio Grande do Norte (cajudivers.com), but my husband is from Sao Paulo and knows the diving beat well down there! He recomends Diving College, a dive center in Sao Paulo since they are really well organized and professional. The other thing you could do is check out the national dive site (brasilmergulho.com) which is very informative, but unfortunately for English speakers, totally in Portuguese. The other reliable source for dive centers is PADI.br, they list all the PADI dive centers in any city of your choice in Brazil.
Just drop us a line if you need anything else, and hope you have a great time while you're here! Brazil really is everything you think it is!
cheers,
Michelle

[ericramos]

Hi Steve and Caju (Michelle)


Hey Steve,
while you're there. The best place is Lage dos santos, about 3 hours away (I guess this depends where you live in Sao Paolo as its the size of a small country itself...!).
Michelle

You are right: Laje de Santos is the best dive spot near São Paulo. AND You are right when you say you can spend 3 hours inside Sao Paulo... last friday I spent 2 hours commuting 25Km... the great problem: Traffic jam.

But, to go to Laje de Santos, you have to take a boat at São Vicente, at 8:00 am. São Vicente is about 80Km from São Paulo. Normally you spend 40 minutes on road (in a regular weekend - not in holiday weekend)... So, if you get the road at 7:00am, you will get time enough to go to pier. At this time, on the weekend, traffic jam is not a problem

The great problem diving the Laje de Santos, is the weather. The place is completely open at 40 Km far from coast. Once, I did 20 minutes dive, and I had to abort the dive because the weather changed so quick, and the winds/waves became so strong, that staying ther became dangerous. But yet, I like to dive there!

Steve, I hope you enjoy dives at Brazil, and if you need something, as Michelle said, just drop us a line.
Michelle, if I go to Natal, I will remember your dive center

[]'s
Éric Ramos

[whodunit68]

hey everyone - thanks so much. It appears for my first 6 months I'll stay at Marriott Executive apartments in or near Sao Paulo. I don't know where this is in relation to all of these places. I haven't yet booked my flight down but it will be some time in the middle or end of January - right in time for the festivities. I want to dive every weekend and sometimes during the week. I'm a cave diver and ahve done a little wreck diving but nothing serious so this will all be new to me. I did some diving last year with a very good friend in Cabo Frio, Arraial do Cabo, Angra dos Reis, (please forgive my spelling as I try to recall these from memory) and have a great time.
I'm hoping to arrange my first dive trip for the first weekend as soon as I book my flight!
I'll be in touch with both of you.
Btw, do I bring my 3mm, 5mm, 7mm, drysuit, or all of it? What are the water temps year-round? I see all kinds of things from Recife and Fernanda and Rio, but what are people diving? I have pretty good cold tolerance as I dove the caves in Mexico with a 7mm shortie for 2 weeks and was fine (it wasn't a shortie really it was the top part of a farmer john).
Thanks!!!!
Steve

[ericramos]

Btw, do I bring my 3mm, 5mm, 7mm, drysuit, or all of it? What are the water temps year-round? I see all kinds of things from Recife and Fernanda and Rio, but what are people diving? I have pretty good cold tolerance as I dove the caves in Mexico with a 7mm shortie for 2 weeks and was fine (it wasn't a shortie really it was the top part of a farmer john).
Thanks!!!!
Steve

I use one 5mm neoprene for all the situations! Buzios, Cabo Frio, Arraial do Cabo were the coldest temperture I've ever faced here in Brazil (about 17ºC ->62,6ºF). As I told in one of my post (this thread), my last dive in Paraty, RJ, the water was about 30ºC (86ºF). There was a guy using a coton t-shirt, just to protect himself from BC.

Cave divers use to use a drysuit. But I'm not a cave diver, so I have no opinion about it. If you have cold tolerance I think 5mm wetsuit is enough.

Hope you enjoy!

Éric Ramos

[whodunit68]

I use one 5mm neoprene for all the situations! Buzios, Cabo Frio, Arraial do Cabo were the coldest temperture I've ever faced here in Brazil (about 17ºC ->62,6ºF). As I told in one of my post (this thread), my last dive in Paraty, RJ, the water was about 30ºC (86ºF). There was a guy using a coton t-shirt, just to protect himself from BC.

Cave divers use to use a drysuit. But I'm not a cave diver, so I have no opinion about it. If you have cold tolerance I think 5mm wetsuit is enough.

Hope you enjoy!

Éric Ramos


thank you. if you have any link to your operation, I would be very appreciative.
I will be there soon and want to dive right away. the flight alone is too long not diving :) ...

[caju divers]

I have to agree with Eric, a 5 mm is your best option. Even thought the water is warm, you will find thermoclines here and there. If you`ve got a farmer John 5 mil that`s even better because you can remove half when you go North! Sorry, but I can`t post our site as I haven`t made enough posts! Just look up Caju Divers, Natal in Google!

Sure thing Eric, :) nice to meet you!

[whodunit68]

I have to agree with Eric, a 5 mm is your best option. Even thought the water is warm, you will find thermoclines here and there. If you`ve got a farmer John 5 mil that`s even better because you can remove half when you go North! Sorry, but I can`t post our site as I haven`t made enough posts! Just look up Caju Divers, Natal in Google!

Sure thing Eric, :) nice to meet you!

you can PM me your site. click on my name and choose send private message.

Thanks for the info. As it happens, I did look up Caju Divers the other day and the site didn't have any info (just a front page with a graphic), not even a phone number.
anyhow, I'll get in touch when I'm in Brazil. thanks.

[whodunit68]

ok all, I'm here in Brazil (ok well I was in Brazil yesterday and in Buenos Aires today) but back to Brazil for the weekend. I have a friend diving in Cabo Frio this weekend but maybe it's too much to try to insert myself. anyone diving near SP this weekend?
I'm ready!!

[ericramos]

Hi Steve,
Unfortunatelly I'm seeing your message right now (feb-1st). This weekend I went to Paraty-RJ (again), and the wheter was fantanstic to dive... Did you dive this weekend?

I'm preparing a list of Dive Center in São Paulo to publish on the site Mergulha Brasil (http://www.mergulhabrasil.com.br)
Meanwhile, you can contact Kokasub (kokasub.com.br), that is one of PADI dive center that I use to go.

[whodunit68]

hi Eric,
you're always first to respond - thank you. I did not dive. I'm a little nervous going the first time without knowing any Portuguese to some place where I don't know anyone or know that someone speaks English.
I will travel. Do you have a center? I'm happy to hop on a plane if I know where I'm going.
Thanks again,
Steve



Hi Steve,
Unfortunatelly I'm seeing your message right now (feb-1st). This weekend I went to Paraty-RJ (again), and the wheter was fantanstic to dive... Did you dive this weekend?

I'm preparing a list of Dive Center in São Paulo to publish on the site Mergulha Brasil (http://www.mergulhabrasil.com.br)
Meanwhile, you can contact Kokasub (kokasub.com.br), that is one of PADI dive center that I use to go.

[ericramos]

Hi Steve,
I don't have a Dive Center. I'm just a enthusiastic Brazilian Diver who knows some words in English :-). But I'm sure someone in KokaSub (Kokasub, Dive Center PADI 5 Star IDC (http://www.kokasub.com.br) - the dive center that a use to go) can help you. You gave me your personal e-mail adress, so, I will ask somebody there contact you.

By the way, they are planning a dive at Feb 14th (http://www.kokasub.com.br/img/emails/fcdd5de67c.jpg) at Laje de Santos. It will be 1 dive at the afternoon and the other one in the evening (night dive). It seems nice.

It's very nice to me to help you. I will be glad if you like my country.
PS.: I didn't do my homework...YET... I will publish some Dive Center Adress and Contact on the site Mergulha Brasil (http://www.mergulhabrasil.com.br) !

Éric Ramos

[ericramos]

PS.: I didn't do my homework...YET... I will publish some Dive Center Adress and Contact on the site Mergulha Brasil (http://www.mergulhabrasil.com.br) !

Éric Ramos

Ok. I did... is not all the Dive Centers available, but is some of Dive Center that I know and I recomend... The web site is in portuguese, but has the address and the contact infomation:

Operadoras de Mergulho » Mergulha Brasil (http://www.mergulhabrasil.com.br/operadoras-de-mergulho/)

I hope to be helpful !
Éric