Laje de Santos

in Underwater by Marcelo Krause — November 15, 2009 at 9:56 AM | 0 comments

The “Laje de Santos” is one of the main dive sites in São Paulo state. The word “laje” in Portuguese means a flat rocky formation. In this case, it is a rocky island about 20 miles off the coast of Santos, Brazil. The last time I dove there was 1991, and a few weeks ago I returned to find a quite different environment. Since 1993 the island is part of a marine state park, so marine life is now protected and recovering well. It is probably the best place in Brazil to see and photograph the Dusky Grouper (Mycteroperca marginata). On other places they are over fished and very shy. During the winter months manta rays can be seen around, and for days with reduced water visibility there are plenty of small creatures for macro photography. For a complete portfolio of the dives and animals of the park I recommend the book “Laje de Santos, Laje dos Sonhos”, put together by Instituo Laje Viva. Below there are some pictures from a 3-day trip on November 2009. There was good visibility for the first day, and not so much on the rest of the trip. For diving at “Laje de Santos” contact Armando at Nautilius Dive.