Pernambuco Diving
Pernambuco is a state on the northeast coast of Brazil that includes the scuba diving destinations of Recife (also the capital of Pernambuco) and the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. Due to its location close to the equator, temperatures are warm year-round, with an average of 26°C (79°F).
Fernando de Noronha is a chain of islands about 350km offshore, and is protected as a National Marine Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. These islands rise up from the southern Atlantic Ocean’s submarine ridge, and their surrounding waters act as vital breeding and feeding grounds for tuna, sharks, sea turtles, and spinner dolphins. In addition to these fauna types, this protected area is home to 230 species of fish and 15 species of coral.
Recife, the capital and largest city of Pernambuco, is considered the shipwreck capital of Brazil. Due to the proximity of a long reef running parallel to the harbor of Recife, there is a large number of shipwrecks along this reef. Despite good year-round diving conditions and plentiful marine life, ocean conditions can be rough. Therefore, these dive sites are meant for advanced divers.
Fernando de Noronha
Fernando de Noronha is a National Marine Park (1988) and UNESCO World Heritage Site (2001) that consists of an archipelago of 21 islands about 350km off the east coast of mainland Brazil. These islands rise up from the southern Atlantic Ocean’s submarine ridge, and their surrounding waters act as vital breeding and feeding grounds for tuna, sharks, sea turtles, and spinner dolphins. In addition to these fauna types, this protected area is home to 230 species of fish and 15 species of coral.
Fernando de Noronha belongs to the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, which is also well-known for its scuba diving.
Diving in Pernambuco
Diving at Fernando de Noronha consists of cave, reef, wreck, drift, and night-diving. The protected nature of the waters surrounding this archipelago makes for breathtaking floral and faunal biodiversity. Liveaboard diving is common at Fernando de Noronha since there are so many stunning dive sites to explore among these islands. Scuba diving is popular year-round at Fernando de Noronha, and the visibility is impressive -- sometimes exceeding 40m! The best conditions, however, are from August to November on the northern side of the main island, and January through Match on the southern side.
Wreck-diving is the most popular type of diving in Recife due to the 100+ wrecked vessels that can be found in the waters just offshore of Recife. Some of these wrecks are intentional, though most of them sank as a result of colliding with the reef. There are countless wrecks of many ship types, from war galleons to barges that can be explored by divers. Like Fernando de Noronha, diving at Recife is year-round, and water temperatures are on average 25°C (77°F).
Best places to dive
The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha boasts several spectacular dive sites, such as Naufragio do Porto, Ilha do Meio, Pedras Secas, Ressuret, and Ipiranga.
Some of Recife’s notable wreck dives are the tug boat Flórida, steamship Bahia, the Brazilian Navy Minesweeper Camaquã, and the Minuano.
