Búzios · Brazil · Reef
Ilha Feia
Try-dive site with corals and fish, never deeper than 12 m
Area photo: Alberto1939 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ilha Feia is an island dive off Búzios, lying further from the coast, that goes no deeper than 12 m. It is the site used for try-dives, known locally as batismos, and its shallow water holds a wide variety of corals and many kinds of fish.
Where it is and how deep
22.7237° S, 41.9235° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Ilha Feia lies further from the coast, and its name, the ugly island, comes from a lightning strike that burned its vegetation; the island has since recovered and is home to goats and rabbits. It is one of the shallower dive points off Búzios, and the dive never goes deeper than 12 m, which makes it the site used for try-dives, known locally as batismos.
The attraction is the variety of life in shallow water. A wide range of corals grows around the island and many kinds of fish move over it, all within 12 m, so a first-time diver sees it without going deep. For deeper rock walls, Búzios divers go to Ilha de Gravatás, a boulder wall to 30 m, and Ilha de Âncora.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Búzios: Breezes blow harder in winter and most rain falls Nov–Mar; each day's dive route is set by the sea conditions.
Photos from Ilha Feia
Isadoraacrd · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Caverna na Ilha Feia - Búzios - RJ · fgglima on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Ilha Feia good for a first dive in Búzios?+
Yes. Ilha Feia goes no deeper than 12 m and is the site used for try-dives, with a wide variety of corals and fish.
Sources
- Ilha Feia — Scuba Búzios
- Ilha Feia, Búzios (OpenStreetMap Nominatim) — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Layered sandstone cliff with a natural arch, topped by cacti and grass above the sea by Isadoraacrd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Búzios
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Shoals of small fish close to the surface in calm water
A cave and octopus in Paraty's clearest water
13 m, sheltered and currentless: the region's first-dive island
A statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, covered in algae