South America · Brazil
Búzios
Ilha de Âncora, a turtle sanctuary 11 km off the peninsula
Photo: Alberto1939 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Búzios is a tourist town on a peninsula of the Rio de Janeiro coast whose four PADI dive centres run boats to the islands and submerged slabs offshore. Ilha de Âncora, 11 km offshore, is the signature dive: rock walls, turtles, big schools, morays and rays. Ilha de Gravatás drops to 30 m for certified divers, Ilha Feia stays within 12 m for try-dives, and a schooner wreck lies at Ilha Branca.
About diving in Búzios
Four PADI centres run dives in Búzios, among them a PADI 5 Star centre and a school running small-group departures. They reach a shared pool of islands and slabs off the peninsula by boat. Ilha de Âncora lies 11 km from the coast, with Ilha de Gravatás on the way out. Each day's route is chosen to suit the sea conditions and the divers aboard, so Ilha de Âncora and Laje das Anchovas run only when the sea allows.
Ilha de Âncora has striking rock walls and is treated as a sanctuary for marine animals, with many turtles, big schools of fish, morays, rays and larger fish. Ilha de Gravatás is a big wall of boulders reaching 30 m at its deepest, with few corals but morays, rays and fish. Ilha Feia, no deeper than 12 m, has a wide variety of corals and fish, and the submerged slab off João Fernandinho beach holds lobster, octopus, seahorses, morays and turtles. Visibility reaches 25 m in good conditions.
Búzios suits a mixed group: beginners can make a first try-dive at Ilha Feia while certified divers take the deeper walls, and the sea averages between 22 and 26 °C through the year. Arraial do Cabo, 27 km to the south-west, is the neighbouring alternative, with its own island sites around Ilha do Farol and Pontal do Atalaia worked by a separate set of centres.
Best time to dive Búzios
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Breezes blow harder in winter and most rain falls Nov–Mar; each day's dive route is set by the sea conditions.
Dive types & marine life
Ilha de Âncora is a turtle sanctuary with many turtles, alongside big schools, morays, rays and larger fish. The João Fernandinho slab adds lobster, octopus and seahorses, with morays and turtles too.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
- Octopus & cuttlefish
Best dive sites in Búzios
- 1
Ilha de Âncora
Island 11 km offshore with rock walls, many turtles, big schools, morays and rays.
- 2
Ilha de Gravatás
Boulder wall to 30 m on the way to Âncora, few corals, for certified divers only.
- 3
Laje de João Fernandinho
Submerged slab off João Fernandinho beach with lobster, octopus, seahorses and turtles.
- 4
Ilha Branca
Island with the wreckage of a schooner.
- 5
Laje das Anchovas
Advanced route, dived only when the sea allows.
Site guides
Wall
Rock walls and many turtles, 11 km off the coast
Wall
A boulder wall to 30 m on the way to Ilha de Âncora
Reef
Try-dive site with corals and fish, never deeper than 12 m
How to get to Búzios
Búzios is about 170 km from Rio de Janeiro by bus or car, typically around three hours by car depending on traffic, and 24 km from Cabo Frio. Búzios Divers, P&P Mergulho and Love 4 Dive are based in Armação dos Búzios itself.
Photos from Búzios
Bernard E. Picton · CC BY 2.5
Bernard E. Picton · CC BY 2.5
Dive videos
Mergulho no parque dos corais, João Fernandes, Búzios · P & P Escola/Operadora De Mergulho Buzios on YouTube
Scuba Diving in Búzios, Brazil! · Dutch Mermaid on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can beginners dive at Búzios?+
Ilha Feia, no deeper than 12 m, is the try-dive site, while certified divers take the deeper walls such as Ilha de Gravatás, which reaches 30 m. Laje das Anchovas is an advanced route.
What is there to see at Ilha de Âncora in Búzios?+
Ilha de Âncora lies 11 km from the coast and is treated as a sanctuary for marine animals, with many turtles, big schools of fish, morays, rays and larger fish. It runs only when the sea allows.
How do divers get to the Búzios dive sites?+
Dives go by boat from Armação dos Búzios, with Ilha de Gravatás on the way out to Ilha de Âncora. Each day's route is chosen to suit the sea conditions and the divers aboard.
What are the conditions like at Búzios?+
The sea averages between 22 and 26 °C through the year, and visibility reaches 25 m in good conditions. Breezes blow harder in winter and most rain falls from November to March.
Sources
- Búzios Divers — Búzios Divers
- Scuba Búzios — Scuba Búzios
- Scuba Búzios - Ilha de Âncora — Scuba Búzios
- Scuba Búzios - Ilha de Gravatás — Scuba Búzios
- Scuba Búzios - Ilha Feia — Scuba Búzios
- Scuba Búzios - Laje de João Fernandinho — Scuba Búzios
- P&P Escola e Operadora de Mergulho — P&P Mergulho
- Love 4 Dive — Love 4 Dive
- Armação dos Búzios — Wikipedia
- Armação de Búzios Water Temperature — seatemperature.org
Photo credits
- Columnar cacti on a headland above the sea, with a rocky point and a small island under a bright cloudy sky by Alberto1939, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Banded butterflyfish with black and white vertical stripes swimming over a rocky bottom at night by Bernard E. Picton, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reef butterflyfish, pale yellow with a dark eye band and tail spot, beside an encrusted rock by Bernard E. Picton, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
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