South America · Brazil
Salvador & Baía de Todos os Santos
The 180-metre freighter Cavo Artemidi, a boat ride from the city
Salvador sits at the mouth of the Baía de Todos os Santos, long one of the main shipping routes of the colonial Recôncavo, and the bay floor holds wrecks dating from 1665 to 1990. Day boats from the city's marinas dive the 180-metre Greek freighter Cavo Artemidi and the Galeão Sacramento at 32 m, while the 1875 Maraldi lies among the harbour corals at 10 m. The water stays between 26 and 29 °C through the year, and visibility runs from 5 to 40 m.
About diving in Salvador & Baía de Todos os Santos
Diving here is part of a city stay. The centres keep their boats in Salvador's marinas: Águas Abertas at Marina do Bonfim, a few metres from its shop, and Bahia Scuba on a boat fitted for 20 divers, with Mundial Scuba also running wreck trips in the bay. Several sites lie close to town. The Homei III sits near Porto da Barra, and Blackadder and Boa Viagem are near and easy to reach, so they carry try dives, course checkout dives and night dives as well as ordinary wreck visits.
The bay was one of the great shipping routes of the colonial Recôncavo, and the wrecks span more than three centuries, from 1665 to 1990. The Cavo Artemidi is the largest diveable wreck in Brazil, the Germânia and Bretagne lie tangled one over the other, and the Homei III keeps its whole hull at 36 m. Around the harbour corals and the Maraldi, ocean water reaches right to the shoreline. Seahorses, lobsters, octopus, small barracuda, surgeonfish, groupers, parrotfish, boxfish, pufferfish and morays turn up on the urban dive at Blackadder.
Salvador suits wreck divers on a trip to the city, and newer divers, who can make try dives and course checkout dives at Blackadder and Boa Viagem; the Galeão Sacramento, at 32 m, is a dive for advanced divers. Ilha dos Frades, inside the bay, has been a municipal ecological reserve since 1982 and lies within the state's Baía de Todos os Santos environmental protection area.
Best time to dive Salvador & Baía de Todos os Santos
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Diving runs all year; April to June is Salvador's rainy season, so July to March is the easier window for a trip.
Best months: January, February, March, July, August, September, October, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Seahorses, lobsters, octopus and small barracuda share the urban dive at Blackadder with surgeonfish, groupers, parrotfish, boxfish, pufferfish, morays and flounder. Blackadder is dived every day of the year, and its visibility is best just after high tide, at 5 to 15 m.
- Wreck
- Reef
- Night
- Barracuda
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Groupers
Best dive sites in Salvador & Baía de Todos os Santos
- 1
Cavo Artemidi
Greek freighter, 180 m long, lost in 1980 and the main wreck dive of the city.
- 2
Galeão Sacramento
Colonial merchant galleon to 32 m, with visibility of 15 to 30 m; a dive for advanced divers.
- 3
Blackadder
Close, easy wreck dived all year; visibility is best after high tide, at 5 to 15 m.
- 4
Homei III
Chinese fishing boat near Porto da Barra, one of the few wrecks here with its hull still whole, at 36 m.
- 5
Maraldi
1875 wreck among the harbour corals, no deeper than 10 m, with visibility of 5 to 20 m.
- 6
Germânia & Bretagne
Two wrecks, the Germânia and the Bretagne, lying tangled one over the other on the bottom.
Site guides
Wreck
A 1905 clipper wreck at 9 m, dived every day of the year
Wreck
Brazil's largest diveable wreck, a 161 m bulk carrier lost in 1980
Wreck
Cannons and anchors from a galleon lost in 1668
Wreck
A whole, upright fishing-boat hull between 33 and 39 m
An 1875 wreck with its boiler at the centre, beside the lighthouse
Reef
Seahorses and morays along a coral wall 3 km (two miles) long
How to get to Salvador & Baía de Todos os Santos
Salvador's airport is 28 km from the city centre by the Paralela expressway, or 32 km along the coast. Bahia Scuba works from Bahia Marina, the Águas Abertas boat sits at Marina do Bonfim and Mundial Scuba is at Porto da Barra; Águas Abertas also keeps a branch at Praia do Forte on the north coast.
Dive videos
Mergulho no naufrágio HoMei III - Salvador, BA · Gabriel Mussi Luz on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification does the Salvador Galeão Sacramento need?+
The Galeão Sacramento reaches 32 m and is a dive for advanced divers. Try dives and course checkout dives run at the shallower and easier Blackadder and Boa Viagem sites.
Are the Salvador dives by boat or from shore?+
All diving is by day boat from the city's marinas, Bahia Scuba at Bahia Marina and Águas Abertas at Marina do Bonfim. Several sites lie close to town, so Blackadder and Boa Viagem are near and easy to reach.
When is the best time to dive in Salvador?+
Diving runs all year, but April to June is the rainy season, so July to March is the easier window. The water stays between 26 and 29 °C throughout.
How far is Salvador airport from the dive boats?+
The airport is 28 km from the city centre by the Paralela expressway, or 32 km along the coast. The boats sit in the marinas at Bonfim and Bahia Marina, so the dives fit into a city stay.
Sources
- Pontos de Mergulho - Águas Abertas — Águas Abertas
- Bahia Scuba — Bahia Scuba
- Naufrágios em Salvador — Mundial Scuba
- Salvador water temperature — seatemperature.org
- Salvador - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Ilha dos Frades - Wikipédia — Wikipedia
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