Diving, Fernando de Noronha
Fernando de Noronha has some of the best diving sites of South America. So no surprise that it is one of the main attractions of the island. People travel from far for some great dives.
Warm South Equatorial currents
The South Equatorial current pushes warm water from Africa to the island hence diving to 30-40 meters depth could theoretically be done without a wetsuit. At times, visibility under water can reach up to 50 meters.
Marine life is abundant with pretty colorful fish of all sizes, turtles, various types of dolphins, whales, stingrays.
And plenty of “friendly” sharks as the locals describe them. Earlier I attended a briefing on marine life at the local Shark Museum. The most common sharks are the lemon shark, nurse shark and Caribbean reef shark.
Diving, Fernando de Noronha – choosing the company that does it for me
There are a couple of diving businesses around. My choice fell on Atlantis Divers. English is spoken in the shop and they do take credit cards.
While I am a certified Advanced Open Water diver, I had not been under the water for a number of years. I mentioned my concern but this turned out not to be a problem. They offered to assign one instructor to keep an extra eye on me.
So, with that out of the way, I booked two dives for the following afternoon costing me 800 BRL (some 240 Euros).
Off I go for my adventure
I was picked up from the accommodation and off we went to Praia do Porto de Santo Antonio. Our embarkation, a beautiful catamaran, was ready to lift anchor and head out towards Ilha Rasa and surrounding areas.
The first dive was at around 20 meters of depth while the second one was in shallower water drifting with the current.
We saw plenty of fish including a shark. Unfortunately, on the shark you will have to take my word as the photographer was not in the vicinity to take a picture.
Diving, Fernando de Noronha
My recommendation is that if you are into scuba diving, Fernando de Noronha should be on your list. I have been diving in many spots around the world and what I found here was among the best. I saw a large number of fish, stingrays, sharks, turtles, lobster, etc.
New to scuba diving?
Having said that, in case scuba diving is something that you have wanted to try out, this island is a good place to give it a shot. It is exiting to see plenty of marine life on your first dive. Believe me, you will get hocked and want more.
I am not sure about other diving schools on the island but I do know that Atlantis offers tutorials for beginners.
I have done several posts on Fernando de Noronha. They include my tips and info on Noronha, things to do, eating out, scuba diving and a general post on Fernando de Noronha
Enjoy the read!
We are a family run dive centre in Cyprus, we love your content.
Many thanks for liking.
A great article. My husband and I run a diving center in Cyprus. We want to offer something more than diving to our customers, something different, thought provoking, unique and absolutely appealing. Open to any ideas? Complimentary refreshments already a given…
Hi,
I would probably organise events which include some interesting and informative presentations (including videos and photos on a large screen maybe) of not only diving in Cyprus but also other exceptional diving spots around the world.
Maybe also something on innovative diving equipment?
Cyprus has quite an amazing history so why not inform on it. It might not be directly related to diving but your customers came to Cyprus for a reason and that might be not only for diving but also to get to know the place.
All this with a good local drink in the hand.
I wish you all the Best for your business.