South America · Brazil
Ilhabela
Historic steamer wrecks and a no-fishing islet worked by six island dive centres
Photo: João D'Andretta · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ilhabela is an island off São Sebastião on the São Paulo coast, with more than 50 shipwrecks in its waters and six of them open to divers. Local centres run boats to Ilha das Cabras, a no-fishing zone with groupers and rays, to the steel hulls of the Aymoré and the 153 m Velásquez, and out to the Búzios and Sumítica islands, where rocky reef runs from 3 to 30 m and visibility reaches 20 m on the best days.
About diving in Ilhabela
At least six dive centres are based on Ilhabela itself, in Perequê, Itaquanduba, Piúva and Portinho. Ilha das Cabras can be dived from either a larger boat or a quick inflatable. Around the island the day takes in Cabras, Portinho, Ponta da Sela and the wrecks, while the Búzios and Sumítica islands make a separate outing, with bottlenose dolphins, Bryde's whales and even humpbacks often seen on the crossing.
The ground is rocky shore of large boulders with holes, crevices and sandy patches between them, falling to 52 m in the passage between Ilha das Cabras and Ilha dos Pescadores. Around Cabras, where hunting and fishing are banned, badejo groupers, garoupas and rays hold on the rock, and turtles give Portinho its other name. More than 50 ships have been lost in these waters; the Aymoré, a 60 m cargo steamer, sank in 1920, and the Velásquez, a 153 m liner, in 1908.
The sheltered bays make this a natural place to learn: Portinho and Saco do Urubu are out of the current at 4 to 7 m and used for course dives. Ilha das Cabras is another matter: currents, surge and real depth on the south face call for higher certification, and the strong currents on the north face demand experience and solid underwater navigation. Parcel da Sumítica, offshore, is exposed to current. Several Ilhabela operators also run expeditions to Alcatrazes, a separate refuge.
Best time to dive Ilhabela
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Diving runs all year. The water is warmest, up to 27 °C, from mid-January until autumn, and early summer can bring cold thermoclines.
Dive types & marine life
Groupers and rays live on the rock around Ilha das Cabras, turtles frequent Portinho, and butterfly rays rest on the sand at Búzios. Passing schools are a regular sight at Parcel da Sumítica. Dolphins, Bryde's whales and humpbacks are sightings from the boat on the run out to Búzios rather than in the water.
- Reef
- Wreck
- Groupers
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
- Dolphins
- Whales
Best dive sites in Ilhabela
- 1
Ilha das Cabras
Islet protected from fishing by municipal decree; groupers and rays on the rock, 52 m in the passage beyond.
- 2
Naufrágio Velásquez
A 153 m British steel liner, lost in bad weather in 1908.
- 3
Naufrágio Aymoré
A 60 m Brazilian steel cargo steamer lost in bad weather in 1920.
- 4
Portinho
The turtle route, inside the same no-fishing zone as Ilha das Cabras.
- 5
Parcel da Sumítica
Offshore rocky reef from 3 to 30 m, exposed to current, where passing schools are always seen.
- 6
Ponta da Sela
Broad rocky reef running from the shore down to 18 m off the point, where current can run.
Site guides
Fish-crowded boulder outcrop with rays on the sand
Boulder walls and canyons to 35 m inside a no-fishing zone
Reef
Offshore island day trip with visibility up to 20 m
Reef
Boulder shore riddled with holes, to 25 m
Wreck
A 1920 cargo steamer in sheltered water 50 m from shore
Boilers, engines and the whole stern of a 1908 liner, 70 m off the beach
Reef
The turtle route, entered straight off the beach
How to get to Ilhabela
The way in is by road to São Sebastião on the mainland, then the car ferry from the end of Alameda São Sebastião downtown; each boat carries up to 70 vehicles across the 2.4 km strait in about 15 minutes. The dive centres are on the island itself, in Perequê, Itaquanduba, Piúva and Portinho.
Photos from Ilhabela
João D'Andretta · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Mergulho Ilhabela e São Sebastião · cahetoile on YouTube
Mergulho em Ilhabela, Praia do Julião - Onde mergulhar, pontos de mergulho e agências de Ilhabela. · Arquipélago Ilhabela on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification does Ilhabela diving need?+
Sheltered 4–7 m bays such as Portinho and Saco do Urubu suit courses. The Ilha das Cabras south face, with currents and depth, needs higher certification, and the north face demands experience and solid underwater navigation.
How do divers get to Ilhabela?+
By road to São Sebastião on the mainland, then the car ferry across the 2.4 km strait, which takes about 15 minutes. The dive centres are on the island itself, in Perequê, Itaquanduba, Piúva and Portinho.
Are whales seen on Ilhabela dive trips?+
Bottlenose dolphins, Bryde's whales and even humpbacks are often seen on the crossing to the Búzios and Sumítica islands. They are sightings from the boat rather than in the water.
When is the best time to dive Ilhabela?+
Diving runs all year. The water is warmest, up to 27 °C, from mid-January until autumn, and early summer can bring cold thermoclines.
Sources
- Ilha das Cabras - Narwhal — Narwhal
- Ilha dos Búzios - Narwhal — Narwhal
- Sobre a Narwhal — Narwhal
- Escola de Mergulho em Ilhabela - OceanoSub — OceanoSub
- Mergulho em Ilhabela - Rosa do Mar Mergulho — Rosa do Mar Mergulho
- Rosa do Mar Mergulho — Rosa do Mar Mergulho
- Portinho Divers — Portinho Divers
- Aquáticos Ilhabela — Aquáticos Ilhabela
- Prado's Dive — Prado's Dive
- Ilhabela - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Ilhabela - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Ilhabela Water Temperature - seatemperature.org — seatemperature.org
Photo credits
- Cluster of orange cup-coral polyps on a rock wall covered in brownish algae by João D'Andretta, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Yellow-green brain coral on an algae-covered rock in greenish water by João D'Andretta, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
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