Scuba in Natal - Brasil

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Alex

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Hi,

I would like to talk about diving in Natal or the Nordeste of Brasil.

Anybody has been there?

Greetings
Greg
 
Hi King,

I am not Natalense, but I go there frequently.

To be true ;-) I have two reasons. I would like to try to scuba / dive there and I have a webpage about Natal, and a lot of folks there asking me about diving, so I am looking for some tips to tell them or a forum to send them to...

Unfortunatly your search does not bring up any hits. ZA means South Africa I guess, there is a city called Natal, too. My Natal is in Brasil, in the north of Brasil, and about 1800 km from SP (Sao Paulo area).

Greetings
Alex
 
Hi Alex,

There is good diving in that area, although my only land-based has been from Recife, a bit to the south of Natal.

For my money, Fernando de Noronha is the hot venue up that way. Here is my last trip report:

"Brazil is bigger than the continental US, with 4,600 miles of coastline -- it would be a little surprising if there wasn't some good diving. You'll need to fly north of Rio some, around Recife (Expedicao Atlantico; 011-5581-227-0458) & Angra dos Reis (Aquamaster Dive Center; 011-5524-365-2416) where there are some nice reefs. Recife has over a dozen wrecks, and dive conditions do not change appreciably from season to season.

The real action is an hour flight from Recife, at Fernando de Noronha, which you must book far in advance (like now) as it is in a marine park with limited attendance (Atlantis Divers; phone/fax; 011-5581-619-1371; divers@elogica.com.br). Can also try DUET Travel at 800-990-3839. Is a breeding area for spinner dolphin, & both green & hawksbill turtles. Fourteen species of shark are around, especially grays. I saw a jewfish as big as a VW (well, almost) when I was there. Large variety of tropicals in large schools. Look for viz of 60-100' & water temps in low 80s. Can be strong currents. Problem with Noronha is many of the best dives are at or below recreational limits -- like some of the pinnacles & the wreck of the Ipiranga. Best to be prepared for some deco dives, although most dives are within recreational & NDL. Accommodations are almost entirely B&Bs and posadas -- nothing luxurious there. Stayed at Pousada de Ze Maria which is cool, done in beautiful woods, & has both mountain & water views.

If you're thinking of carnival, have done it & it is some very nasty partying. The national sugar cane liquor is quite potent, not to mention the dental floss bikinis. Rio is like fitness insane, with aerobics classes on the beach starting at 5:00AM & fitness clubs or dance studios in every other store front. Best do the diving first."

Hope this was at least somewhat helpful.

DocVikingo



 
I know about the marine park offshore but what about near Natal specifically?
 
I never made it to Natal, but dived quite a bit in Salvador (Bahia) [still in the nordeste] - itz a short flight from Natal, but if you go to Brazil alot it is well worth a trip (diving or not)

- Salvador's an awesome (fun) city and some nice wrecks (viz was never that great for me though) - the Abrolhos (a marine park) is the best place to go if you make it a little further south (south of part of Bahia, but VERY difficult to get to)

As one of the earlier posts mentioned - the place to go near NAtal is Fernando de Narohna.
 
I know that Fernando de Narohna is well reputed as a diving locale but I restrict my inquiry to Natal or somewhere nearby on mainland Brazil because someone spoke to me of setting up a dive operation there. For this reason I am curious about the diving possibilities in Natal or nearby.
 

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