Buraco da Raquel

Vila dos Remedios · Fernando de Noronha · Brazil

Buraco da Raquel sits on the sheltered Mar de Dentro coast of Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic archipelago 350 kilometres off Brazil's northeast coast. This dramatic rock formation, with its natural arches and tidal pools, has been a protected landmark within the Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park since 1988 and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The dive site surrounds the volcanic rock outcrop, where underwater walls and overhangs create a maze of swim-throughs and crevices. The rocky substrate provides shelter for octopuses, moray eels, and spiny lobsters, while schools of parrotfish and surgeonfish graze on the algae-covered surfaces. Green sea turtles are frequent visitors, and it is not uncommon to spot nurse sharks resting in the shallows during morning dives. Fernando de Noronha enjoys some of the best visibility in the Atlantic, regularly exceeding 40 metres and sometimes reaching 50 metres during the dry season. The warm equatorial waters hover between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius year-round, making thick wetsuits unnecessary. Currents at Buraco da Raquel are generally moderate, though conditions can pick up during tidal changes. The archipelago is one of the most important spinner dolphin habitats in the world, and pods of hundreds are regularly seen from the surface between dives. With only about 25 dive sites across the archipelago and strict environmental controls limiting diver numbers, every dive here feels exclusive. The combination of volcanic topography, exceptional clarity, and abundant marine life makes Fernando de Noronha a bucket-list destination for serious divers visiting South America.