Arraial do Cabo

Brazil

Arraial do Cabo is a coastal municipality on the Rio de Janeiro state coast known as Brazil's 'Dive Capital', offering rocky reef diving in unusually clear, cold-upwelling waters.

Arraial do Cabo sits on a rocky peninsula on the Rio de Janeiro coast. Diving is concentrated around sheltered points near Praia dos Anjos, including Ilha dos Porcos and Gruta Azul, with roughly 40 dive sites reported. A cold-water upwelling phenomenon enriches marine biodiversity, drawing sea turtles, moray eels, reef sharks, and dense fish schools. Part of the surrounding waters fall within the Arraial do Cabo Marine Extractive Reserve, established in 1997.