Ilhabela · Brazil · Reef
Ilha dos Búzios
Offshore island day trip with visibility up to 20 m
Area photo: João D'Andretta · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ilha dos Búzios is an offshore island reached on a full-day boat trip from Ilhabela, with a crossing estimated at 1 h 30 depending on the boat and the weather. Dives around the island run from 8 to 30 m, and visibility ranges from 5 to 20 m depending on the time of year and the point chosen.
Where it is and how deep
23.7971° S, 45.1564° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The day begins with a boat crossing from Ilhabela estimated at 1 h 30, depending on the boat and the weather, and the whole outing takes 6 to 8 hours, with two dives at two different points. The islands have no beaches: their shores are rocky coasts and coves, which give the dives varied profiles, and around Ilha dos Búzios they run from 8 to 30 m. Bottlenose dolphins and Bryde's whales are often seen on the crossing.
The island lies away from the coast and is subject to currents. Visibility ranges from 5 to 20 m depending on the time of year and the point chosen, and it varies with the currents and the weather. The water averages about 22 °C over the year and can reach 27 °C from mid-January until autumn, while early summer occasionally brings thermoclines, bands of very cold water at one level of the water column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows 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.
Know before you go
- Early in summer, very cold thermoclines occasionally sit at one level of the water column.
- Local fishing nets, pens and traps surround the archipelago; divers keep clear of them to avoid entanglement.
Dive videos
Grutas da Ilha dos Búzios - SP · Brasil Mergulho on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How long is the boat ride to Ilha dos Búzios?+
The crossing from Ilhabela is estimated at 1 h 30, depending on the boat and the weather, and the full trip takes 6 to 8 hours.
Sources
- Ilha dos Búzios - Narwhal — Narwhal Ilhabela
- Escola de Mergulho em Ilhabela - OceanoSub — OceanoSub
- Ilha de Buzios - Costao dos Aquarios — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Ilhabela
Fish-crowded boulder outcrop with rays on the sand
Boulder walls and canyons to 35 m inside a no-fishing zone
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Portinho mooring out of the east wind, reef and walls to 25 m
A U-shaped passage under an arch that stands above the water
The exposed mooring, with walls and boulders from 10 to 25 m
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The outermost island, where big encounters are not rare