Saco do Cardeiro
Location guideArraial do Cabo

Saco do Cardeiro

512 mopen water+coralmacro○ Out of season

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Overview

A sheltered cove on the calm inner sea of Arraial do Cabo, the mar de dentro, where a rocky bottom slopes gently from about 6 to 11 meters under unusually clear water. Cold, plankton rich pulses from the South Atlantic upwelling feed dense schools of bigeye and other fish that drift over reef carpeted in zoanthids, gorgonians and sponges. Divers come for the resident longsnout seahorses and for a bright orange and pink soft coral, not native to Brazil, that has colonised the rocks and become a favorite subject for underwater photographers. Barracuda, green turtles, small morays and the occasional dolphin pass through. Gentle depth and protected water make this Arraial's main training and discover scuba site.

Briefing note

Shallow, sheltered cove that operators use for discover scuba and certification dives, so expect training groups. Departures are by boat from the Praia dos Anjos pier, and the area lies within the Arraial do Cabo Marine Extractive Reserve. Water can cool sharply when upwelling drives cold water inshore, even in Brazilian summer, so carry enough exposure protection.

What you'll see

6 species curated
  • Atlantic bigeye
    year-round
  • Longsnout seahorse
    year-round
  • Great barracuda
    year-round
  • Green sea turtle
    year-round
  • Spotted moray
    year-round
  • Bottlenose dolphin
    rare
    Peak: Oct · Nov · Dec · Apr

Conditions

MonthWaterVisibilityCurrent
Jan1826 °C818 mmild
Feb1827 °C818 mmild
Mar1926 °C1020 mmild
Apr1925 °C1220 mmild
May1924 °C1018 mmild
Jun1823 °C815 mmild
Jul1822 °C815 mmild
Aug1722 °C815 mmild
Sep1722 °C815 mmild
Oct1823 °C1018 mmild
Nov1724 °C1018 mmild
Dec1726 °C818 mmild

Season calendar

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Peak season highlighted · current month outlined

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