Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália · Brazil · Reef
Recife de Fora
Endemic Bahian brain coral on a marine-park reef at 6 to 9 m
Recife de Fora is a marine park off Porto Seguro, created in 1997 and covering about 17.5 square kilometres some 8 km from the coast. The standard boat dive goes to the southern tip of the park, a preservation zone, at 6 to 9 m. Porto Seguro's dive boats take first-time divers there for a supervised discovery dive.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive boat leaves the pier at Porto Seguro or at Arraial d'Ajuda and runs for about an hour to an area at the southern end of Recife de Fora, roughly 5 nautical miles (9 km) off the coast. During the crossing an instructor briefs everyone making a discovery dive, so the boat ride doubles as the classroom. The park was created in 1997 to protect the marine life of the region, and the dive site lies inside its preservation zone.
The dive itself runs at 6 to 9 m, with 25 to 30 minutes on the bottom. Discovery divers go down in pairs, and each pair is accompanied by a professional. The reef carries corals of several species, among them the brain coral Mussismilia braziliensis, which is found only in southern Bahia, alongside reef fish and rock formations. At the end of the dive the boat returns to the same pier it left from.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália: November to April brings the clearest water and the least wind; December to February is the busy summer season, when dives are best booked 15 to 30 days ahead.
Dive videos
Mergulho em Porto Seguro - Recife de Fora - Pôrto Dive · Eduardo Mazer on YouTube
mergulho em Recife de fora, Porto seguro BA . (parte 1) · Porto Seguro on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the dive at Recife de Fora?+
The standard dive at the southern tip of Recife de Fora runs at 6 to 9 m, with 25 to 30 minutes on the bottom.
Is a certification needed to dive Recife de Fora?+
No. Non-divers make a supervised discovery dive after a briefing on the boat, always in pairs with a professional. Certified divers show their card.
Sources
- Mergulho com Cilindro — Porto Passeios
- Mergulho em Porto Seguro: dicas e pontos de mergulho — Hotéis à Beira Mar
More dive sites in Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália
Artificial reef
A sunken platform lying at 22 m
Wreck
A cargo ship broken in three on the reef, propeller and rudder at 15 m
Coral reefs over sand off Santa Cruz Cabrália, to 18 m
Reef
Shallow coral reef off Santa Cruz Cabrália, to 10 m
Coral reef banks over sand off Coroa Vermelha, to 18 m
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