Technicians analyze housing orca found dead in southern Santa Catarina

An orca of about seven meters, in advanced state of decomposition, was found on Sunday afternoon (23) in Balneario Rincon, in Içara in southern Santa Catarina (Brazil). As the animal was found in a remote area, it was not necessary to interdict the area.

On the morning of Monday, the Department of Environment Prefecture Balneario Barra do Sul has sent officials to the scene to examine the animal. According to the department, experts in biology, University of Joinville, Univille should go to the beach to assess better end to the housing orca.

Scuba Diving in Recife Brazil

Recife – Brazil – is also a capital when it comes to the sea: it is the shipwreck capital of Northeast. There are 22 of wich are regularly used for diving. The combination of natural and artificial reefs with clean, warm and crystal-clear water that are full of marine life has made Recife’s coastline a true underwater playground.

Vapor Bahia
The steamship Bahia was rammed by the steamship Pirapama at the end of 19 century. The reason: passion. It is said that the steamship captains began their own private little war over the love of a woman. The steamship sank off the coast of the Ponta das Pedras beach, causing the death of 37 people. Despite begin half-discovered, it is or a rare beauty and has rich fauna along with excellent visibility.

Corveta Camaquã
The brazilian Navy minesweeper sank in 1944, at the end of World War II, 27 miles from the port of Recife. The beauty and intensity of its marine life is comparable to Corveta V17 in Fernando de Noronha. Its practically intacts structure allows visits to various compartments. But the enormous amount of stuck fishing lines requires special care by divers to avoid getting entangled.

Flórida
This English steamship sank in 1972, 12 miles from the port of Recife, killing six of its 11 crewmembers. Today, it is one of the most beautiful shipwrecks off the coast of Pernambuco, full of life and with great visibility.

Pirapama
A few years after its collision with the Bahia steamshipin 18889, the Pirapama was dismantled and scuttled 6.5 miles from the port of Recife. It is a diving experience of rare beauty where divers are surrounded by turtles, rays, cobias and even sharks. It is the most visited shipwreck in Recife. Night diving is also possible.

Minuano
The 25-meter long shipwreck has the highest intensity of marine life. Schools of gray and french agelfish, as well as cobia, are always present. Large Goliath group may also show up.

Lupus
The shipwreck is 34 meters long and all its compartments can be entered, Schools of tropical fish live around the shipwreck. Occasionally, cobias and rays can be seen in the proximities.

Vapor do 48
An old shipwreck of a still unidentified steamboat. The name comes from its depth. It is half- buried in the sand. The highlight is a large propulsion wheel covered in sponges and coral. The boilers also stand out among the wreckage. The site has a lot of marine life and visibility is excellent.

Servemar X
One of the seven tugboats scuttled by the Artificial Reef Park project. It is 18 meters in length and intact on the sea floor. Marine life has been slowly taking over the shipwreck. Some nurse sharks live in its interior. Schools of bluestriped grunts and red squirrelfish are found in practically all compartments. Southern stingrays are usually found near the propeller. It is possible to enter the holds, the engine room and the superstructure.

Taurus
Scuttled in May 2006, along with the Mercúrius and the Saveiros, this tugboat already provides good diving conditions, with a very reasonable amount of marine life, making it a hit with local operators. This was the tugboat’s second sinking. Two years earlier, it sank during a misguided maneuver in the Recife port bay. After being raisedfrom the sea, it was no longer in working condition.

Source: Brazil Diving Guide

Aquarium São Paulo receives new species

Aquarium of São Paulo (Brazil) received on August 5, two female shark sandpaper, about 2 m long each, came to the company other marine animals of the site.

With two predators, the aquarium also received a streak maripousa, a fish nero (endangered), a blowfish, whiting and a five lobsters. All came from the aquarium Guarapari in the Holy Spirit.

Workshop about Sharks in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil

Biologist Marcelo Szpilman minister tomorrow (26) to lecture on sharks: Myths and Truths. The event will be at the Instituto Ecológico Aqualung, in Gloria, Rio de Janeiro – Brazil.

Contents of Lecture-Workshop:

- Habits, behavior and biology of sharks
- Diving with sharks
- Demystifying the shark and its attacks
- The types of shark attack
- Attacks on the Brazilian coast and the detailed analysis of statistical data more current, with comments and explanations
- The problem of overfishing of shark (decline and extinction of species)
- The role of sharks in the marine ecosystem.

 

Kevin Downey will make speeches in Brazil

Arrive in Brazil at the end of June, one of the greatest photographers of caves in the world, American Kevin Downey. He will hold talks about his experience in capturing images of the most beautiful caves in the world and coordinate two photography workshops underground in São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

Kevin Downey has about 200 000 images groundwater, many of which won awards in photographic competitions in the United States and abroad. As an explorer, he participated in several expeditions, including cave diving (diving).

The cruise business grows during the 2010 season

The Brazilian market for cruises is growing at a rate of 40% per year. The 2009-2010 season, which ends in May, so far recorded more than 760 thousand trips sold. Of 220 thousand passengers more than the computed in the 2008-2009 season.

Brazil is the sixth cruise market in the world, with the prospect to become the fifth ranking. The drive of the season generates optimism among the business sector, still working with the expectation of the provision of additional accommodation to meet the public’s World Cup 2014.

Diving Maracajaú is featured in news site

The news site the Zero, the Clic RBS, published recently in the box “Brazil“, some information about the fate of Maracajaú – known for its natural pools that allow the practice of activities such as snorkelling.

See below:

Maracajaú is a small fishing village about 60 kilometers from Natal, famous among those who like to dive. After spending hours of rest and relaxation in a hammock under coconut trees in small hotels, one can also enjoy various activities such as buggy or raft, horseback riding, fishing, hiking, snorkeling and diving in natural pools formed by reefs.

It is still in Maracajaú which is the water park Ma-Noa, similar (though less in quantity and variety of attractions) to the Beach Park, Fortaleza. Admission costs $ 32.

The clear waters of Maracajaú are surrounded by reefs, forming what they call the potiguares parrachos (pools). The depth varies from one to eight meters, depending on the tide and the distance of the beach coral reefs. In shallower, the ideal snorkeling.

 

Conservation of coral reefs of Porto de Galinhas

The threat of destruction of coral reefs forming natural pools in Porto de Galinhas (PE- Brazil), in Pernambuco litroal South, led the city population demography to limit the access of tourists to the reef. The overcrowding was endangering the coral reefs, since the structure of these fragile and does not support so many people.

Before, 30% of reefs were open to visitors. With the restriction, the area was reduced to 7%. And all the rides now have monitoring of environmental agents. Buoys have also been installed in the region to demarcate the areas of diving and inland.

The idea is not prober tourist access to one of the most popular destinations along the northeast coast, but to ensure that the rides are more disciplined.

“The visit was disorderly jeopardizing the heritage of nature. We have been working to prevent the destruction, now let’s have a larger building with more agents and monitors educating and guiding tourists,” says the deputy mayor of Ipojuca, Fernando Eduardo Alves.

The alert had been made biologists Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE). The reefs were invaded by a crowd on weekends. The ride seemed harmless, but the simple fact of walking on corals already degrades the environment.

Contrary to what many people think, the corals are not plants or rocks. They are animals that are part of the marine fauna. They are fragile living things that take decades to develop.

Source: O Globo

Scuba diving in Sao Paulo

Sighting dolphins and whales, live with caiçara communities and experience the rich marine life off the coast of São Paulo (Brazil) are some of the attractions for those who venture into the scripts of the dive.

In a joint initiative between fishermen, dive associations and the State Department of Environment, have been mapped about 80 points – divided into eight routes – where you can perform the activity. The project goal is to make the people know the marine life and go to save it.

Located in areas of environmental preservation, the scripts include islands in the region of Ubatuba, Ilhabela, São Sebastião, Santos and Itanhaém. In all of them, you can find companies dive operators.

See more in Portal Mergulho Brazil!!

 

Diving in abrolhos

 

The Abrolhos Archipelago is a Marine National Park located 45 miles off the mid-eastern coast of Brazil. The archipelago of five volcanic islands harbors the greatest chains of coral reefs in the South Atlantic spreading across more than 9 million square yards. The ocean around Abrolhos also covers one of the rarest and most exhuberant coral reef banks in the region. According to scientific knowledge, there is no other place on earth where you can see the type of coral reef pinnacle prevalent in Abrolhos waters, locally known as “chapeirão” [sha-payr-an-o]. The species looks like a giant mutant mushroom and is overgrown with fans of fire coral and round knobs of brain coral also unique to this archipelago.

Abrolhos is also home to some of the richest coral in Brazil, and one of the rarest in the world. All the existing species of fish in the South Atlantic can be found in the surroundings of the archipelago. Between July and November, Abrolhos is visited by Humpback whales, who give their own spectacular performance leaping from the water and emitting a variety of sounds. One of the rarest species of endangered mammals, they measure up to 50 feet and weigh around 30 tons. Abrolhos is the only area in the South Atlantic to which the whales go in order to mate, give birth and escape the Antarctic winters. They are in the archipelago for their entire mating season.

The male whales meet the females again and try to attract them by serenading the ladies with all kinds of sweet songs. The Humpbacks are considered to be the most docile of all whale species, and are also known for their highly-developed communication and acrobatics. That makes for a perfect whale-watching-or-hearing opportunity, whether it be while touring on the topside or diving down under. In the interest of preserving the whales privacy and ensuring their annual return, tourists must maintain a distance of 330 feet from the whales.

Charles Darwin was attracted by the rich fauna and paid a research visit to the archipelago in the 1830s. Today, you are allowed to dive in these turquoise blue waters, provided you are in the company of a guide. There are so many spectacular sights in the archipelago’s coast that it is almost impossible to pick the best dives.

Rosalinda wreck (also known as Rosalina)

The Italian cargo ship sank in 1955. It is approximately 330 x 44 feet and its bow reaches up above the water surface at low tide as it is on a higher incline. At the 66 foot bottom, the ship sits on a coral reef bank between two “chapeirão” pinnacles. Today, the ship is completely preserved and integrated into the rich surrounding coral reef ecosystem. There are fish and “chapeirão” everywhere. Rosalinda carried beer and cement. At least, the cement will still be in sight for sure. As you move around the 3 accessible cargo rooms, do not be alarmed if you see a 550 pound jewfish that tends to spend seasons in the machine room. Although it is huge, it does not hurt anybody. Of course, the same is true for the large turtles that also like the area.

How to get there

There daily flights from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to Porto Seguro. Porto Seguro is 164 miles, approximately 4 hours drive, from Caravelas which is the main port for Abrolhos from the mainland. Caravelas has well equipped hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and travel agencies. You can also reach the archipelago leaving from Nova Viçosa, Alcobaça or Prado on a sailboat or motor boat.

Source:www.brazil.ru/en/abrolhosdiving