Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália

Diving here is a boat trip from town. Boats leave the pier at Porto Seguro or the one at Arraial d'Ajuda and run for about an hour to the southern end of Recife de Fora, roughly 5 nautical miles (9 km) offshore, for a dive of 25 to 30 minutes on the bottom. Certified divers show their card; everyone else gets a briefing on board and makes a supervised discovery dive. AquaPlanet Mergulho has taught and guided in Porto Seguro for more than 20 years, and Beach Bahia Dive runs its own boat, fills tanks and rents equipment from a pousada in Santa Cruz Cabrália.

The reefs are shallow banks with sand around their feet, rarely deeper than 10 m on the ordinary sites, with Recife de Itacepanema and Coroa Alta dropping to 18 m. Several coral species grow on them, including the brain coral Mussismilia braziliensis, which is found only in southern Bahia. The wrecks add depth and structure: the Castor, a motor ship launched in 1974, rests in three pieces perpendicular to the reef at up to 15 m, with moray eels and grouper around the hull, and the Bate Estaca platform lies at 22 m.

The area suits new divers, families mixing a beach holiday with a first try on scuba, and anyone content with short, shallow dives in warm water. Visibility of 5 to 10 m and modest depths limit what a seasoned diver will find, and the Castor's strong currents and often murky water make it a site best dived in summer.