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

Largest marine reserve in the world will be on the Chagos Islands

Was authorized by Britain, creating the largest marine nature reserve in the world around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.

This nature reserve protects an area that environmentalists compare to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, due to its marine life and its population of yellow tuna, turtles and crabs.

Included is also an area closed to fishing for commercial purposes, said the foreign minister, David Miliband, in a statement.

Blue shark feeds on birds and garbage, says survey

The researcher and an oceanographer, Teodoro Vaske Jr., accompanied fishing vessels off the coast of northeast and noted that the stomach of the shark – blue (Prionace glauca) was dropped and so began his research work to identify what is ingested by the species.

In total, we examined 222 stomachs of blue sharks. The result, in addition to increasing knowledge about the blue shark has brought about a rich marine life.

Vaske Júnior discovered, among other things, that the shark eats bird, fish, cephalopods, crustaceans and garbage like plastic bags, cardboard, wood, wire, fishing lines and even pens. In 5% of stomachs open for at least a fishing hook.

 

Restaurant submarine is opened in the Maldives

For those who want to surprise a romantic dinner or a family celebration, there is a restaurant in the Indian Ocean that may surpass any expectations. Called The Ithaa, the restaurant is five meters below sea level.

Located in the Maldives, the restaurant – which belongs to the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa, has acrylic ceiling that provides a view of 180 degrees. Thus, you can taste dishes prepared and see coral reefs and the peculiarities of the marine life that surrounds the Indian Ocean.

The restaurant measures nine meters wide and five meters high. It can accommodate up to 12 people at a time.

Who wants to get to the restaurant must follow a wooden deck, installed at the resort, and down a spiral staircase. The kitchen, as it would be different, is Asian, with many seafood.

To enjoy this exotic place, the price of a dinner ranges from $ 120 and $ 245 per person (U.S. $ 207 and $ 423 per person).

Source and Photos: Época Negócios Online

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!!