Ubatuba · Brazil · Reef
Trilha do Pigmeu
One of the few Ubatuba sites with pygmy angelfish
Trilha do Pigmeu, at Ilha Rapada, is one of the few sites around Ubatuba where pygmy angelfish can be seen: small, colourful and curious fish that draw underwater photographers. A sheltered shallow start leads southwest to a sudden drop and a maze of boulders on sand, between 12 and 25 m.
Where it is and how deep
23.4268° S, 44.9055° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Boats only moor at Trilha do Pigmeu when the sea is very calm. The dive starts in a well-sheltered part of the site over a shallow rocky bottom, an area that divers of all levels can explore. The site is one of the few in the Ubatuba area where pygmy angelfish can be seen: small, colourful and curious fish that delight underwater photographers.
Following the shore to the southwest, the depth increases abruptly, and the site reaches 25 m. Here large rocks on the sandy bottom form a maze inhabited by many schools of fish. This part of the dive calls for skill in underwater navigation and more experience, because currents and surge are present among the rocks.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Ubatuba: Diving runs all year. The water is warmest, up to 27 °C, in February and March, and stingrays gather to mate at Pedra da Cachorra in September and October.
Know before you go
- Currents and surge among the boulder maze past the abrupt drop to 25 m; the site calls for experience and solid underwater navigation.
Sources
- Pontos de Mergulho - Omnimare — Omnimare
More dive sites in Ubatuba
Artificial reef
Life-size statue of Jacques Cousteau on the sand at 9 m
Vertical wall to 23 m with a boulder chamber at its foot
Reef
Jacks pass by and groupers herd sardines over the western reef
Stingrays mating in numbers in September and October
A ship-shaped rock and a patch reef full of fish schools
Butterflyfish, grunts and sergeant majors in abundant schools
Similar dives elsewhere
200 m of submerged reef running down to 26 m
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