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Guide · Brazil

Spearfishing in Brazil

Brazil is a vast, warm coast with one cold treasure: the Região dos Lagos upwelling, where Arraial do Cabo and Cabo Frio give gin-clear water most of the year. Spearfishing is legal nationwide, but breath-hold only — scuba and any artificial-breathing apparatus with a speargun are banned (Portaria SAP/MAPA 616/2022). You need the Licença de Pesca Amadora, and the catch may not be sold. This guide sets the rules straight and shows where and when to dive.

The common thread along the whole coast is reading the water: the wind, the river plumes (Rio Doce and estuaries) and the tides, stronger in the south. There is no national seasonal hardstop — only species closed seasons apply. This guide explains the law, walks the regions from Santa Catarina to Ceará, and links to a daily go / borderline / no-go forecast for every city.

Open the flagship — Arraial do Cabo →

The rules in brief

The text in force is Portaria SAP/MAPA nº 616/2022. The essentials:

The Região dos Lagos upwelling — the cold heart

At Cabo Frio the coast turns and the trade wind pushes warm surface water offshore — cold, clear water rises from below (ressurgência). Arraial do Cabo and Cabo Frio get 16–20 °C water and a visibility found nowhere else in the Southeast, often year-round. Wear 5 mm, and read the window by the wind: NE opens the water, the southerly (vento sul) muddies it and builds swell.

Important legal nuance: Arraial do Cabo itself is a RESEX Marinha (marine extractive reserve). Amateur spearfishing there is allowed ONLY for local «Categoria C» beneficiaries with ICMBio authorisation — for a visitor it is effectively a ban. Hunt the open coast of Cabo Frio / Búzios and points outside the RESEX, not inside Arraial's cove.

Species, sizes and closed seasons

Absolute ban — mero (Epinephelus itajara, goliath grouper): a moratorium since 2002, now open-ended (CR status, Portaria MMA 148/2022). Never shoot it, fines up to R$ 100,000. Garoupa-verdadeira (E. marginatus) is managed: 47–73 cm, closed 1 Nov–28 Feb. Don't shoot red-listed sharks and rays (hammerhead Sphyrna, angel shark Squatina). The sizes below follow IN MMA 53/2005 (Southeast and South).

SpeciesSize / status
Goliath grouper (mero)no-take, year-round
Dusky grouper47–73 cm; closed 1 Nov–28 Feb
Common snook50 cm; closed by state
Fat snook30 cm; closed by state
Bluefish35 cm
Black grouper45 cm
Amberjack, mahi-mahi, jackno national size in SE/S

Where you can't — no-take zones

Inside all federal «full-protection» zones hunting is completely banned. Stay clear of: REBIO Marinha do Arvoredo (right against Florianópolis and Bombinhas!), PE Marinho da Laje de Santos (Santos/Guarujá), ESEC Tamoios — 29 islets with a 1 km radius in Ilha Grande Bay (Angra/Paraty), PARNA Fernando de Noronha and Abrolhos, and REVIS Alcatrazes (São Sebastião/Ilhabela). APA Costa dos Corais (Alagoas/Pernambuco) is sustainable-use but holds no-take sub-zones (ZPVM); always check the boundaries.

Safety

Never dive alone — a buddy on every dive is mandatory against blackout. In the Northeast, especially at Recife (Boa Viagem), there is a real shark risk — Pernambuco is known for attacks; don't hunt with fish on a stringer near shore there. In the south the water is colder and the swell bigger; watch the vento sul. The per-city forecast helps you pick the safe day.

Where to dive, by region

South Coast

Brazil's subtropical south (Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul) — cooler water, rock points and islands that open in the summer calms.

  • Torres — The only basalt headland coast in Rio Grande do Sul: the Parque da Guarita walls and Praia da Cal give shore entries the rest of the state's sandy, murky coast lacks.
  • São Francisco do Sul — An island at the far north of Santa Catarina with granite headlands and coves at Praia da Enseada and Praia Grande.
  • Balneário Camboriú — The vertical city of the Santa Catarina coast; hunting is on the headlands of the wild beaches to the south — Laranjeiras, Taquaras, Taquarinhas, Praia do Pinho — away from the murky urban front.
  • Bombinhas — Santa Catarina's dive capital: a granite peninsula with crystal water, headlands and sheltered coves at Bombas, Sepultura, Mariscal and Canto Grande.
  • Porto Belo — A sheltered bay north of the Bombinhas peninsula, with granite headlands and Porto Belo Island offshore.
  • Governador Celso Ramos — A granite-headland peninsula north of Florianópolis, with the coves of Palmas, Ganchos and Armação da Piedade.
  • Florianópolis — Santa Catarina island is the heart of southern spearfishing: headlands on the east beaches (Mole, Galheta, Lagoinha do Leste) and Ilha do Xavier off Praia Mole, one of the most-cited spots, 5–18 m.
  • Garopaba — A fishing-and-surf village south of Florianópolis, with granite headlands at Silveira, Ferrugem and Praia do Ouvidor.
  • Imbituba — A port and historic whaling capital south of Garopaba; hunting is on the headlands of Praia do Rosa, Ibiraquera and Vila.
  • Laguna — The southernmost rocky point of Santa Catarina, at Cabo de Santa Marta and its lighthouse — the subtropical convergence edge, with a weak seasonal upwelling that occasionally clears and cools the water.

São Paulo Coast

The São Paulo coast (Ubatuba, Ilhabela, Guarujá) — warm water and sheltered island channels, clearest in the drier winter months.

  • Ubatuba — São Paulo's north coast with dozens of islands and headlands — the Couves, Comprida and Rapada archipelagos give walls and reefs from 3 to 25 m in clear water.
  • São Sebastião — The São Sebastião channel facing Ilhabela: granite headlands at Maresias, Toque-Toque and Boiçucanga with grouper, sand perch and snook.
  • Ilhabela — São Paulo's benchmark spearfishing archipelago: 30+ spots between the main island and the Búzios and Vitória islands, with 8–40 m walls in clear water.
  • Caraguatatuba — A broad bay on the north coast between Ubatuba and São Sebastião; hunting is on the headlands of Martim de Sá, Tabatinga and around Ilha do Tamanduá.
  • Guarujá — Granite headlands of the Santos metro coast — Astúrias, Pitangueiras and the outer Pernambuco and Perequê beaches.

Rio de Janeiro Coast

Rio de Janeiro's coast, anchored by Arraial do Cabo — an upwelling window of cold, gin-clear water fishable most of the year.

  • Paraty — The historic Costa Verde with 65+ islands in Ilha Grande Bay; headlands and reefs with grouper, sand perch, wreckfish and snook, but modest 4–10 m viz — an enclosed, rainy bay.
  • Angra dos Reis — The cradle of Brazilian spearfishing (first championship in 1952), with 365 islands in Ilha Grande Bay; headlands with grouper, sand perch, wreckfish and leerfish.
  • Mangaratiba — The north entrance of Ilha Grande Bay, with headlands and islands at Ibicuí and Muriqui; grouper, sand perch, snook and leerfish.
  • Niterói — The ocean headlands of Itaipu, Itacoatiara and Piratininga, plus the Tijucas Islands offshore, with surprisingly clear water for the metro region.
  • Rio de Janeiro — On the city's ocean side — Barra, Recreio and the Tijucas Islands offshore (surprisingly clear headlands).
  • Saquarema — A Rio surf mecca with a headland at Ponta de Itaúna and the western edge of the Região dos Lagos upwelling — on NE-wind days the water cools and clears.
  • Arraial do Cabo — The epicentre of Brazilian upwelling: NE wind pushes warm water out and cold water (down to 14 °C in summer) rises from ~350 m, giving visibility past 15 m and up to 40 m at its best — the clearest water in the Southeast, best Apr–Oct.
  • Cabo Frio — The huntable heart of the Região dos Lagos upwelling: with NE wind the cold, clear water rises and visibility passes 15 m, best Apr–Oct.
  • Armação dos Búzios — The northern edge of the Região dos Lagos upwelling: the Búzios peninsula catches the upwelling on NE wind (colder, clearer on the east/south face) and shelters on its north face.
  • Rio das Ostras — The north Rio coast between the Região dos Lagos and Macaé, with headlands at Costa Azul, Praia do Centro and Ilha do Cabo.
  • Macaé — The oil city of northern Rio, with a headland at Praia dos Cavaleiros and Ilha do Farol / Ilha de Santana offshore, where the water clears.

Espírito Santo Coast

Espírito Santo's coast (Guarapari, Vitória) — warm reef and wreck diving, best in the drier summer away from the Rio Doce plume.

  • Aracruz — The north coast of Espírito Santo with headlands and reefs at Barra do Sahy, Santa Cruz and Coqueiral; grouper, sand perch, sargo, dolphinfish and snook.
  • Vitória — The Espírito Santo capital with headlands at Camburi, Curva da Jurema and the channel islands (Ilha do Frade, Ilha do Boi).
  • Vila Velha — South of Vitória, with headlands at Praia da Costa, Ponta da Fruta and offshore islands; birthplace of Espírito Santo's spearfishing clubs (Marsol, since 1985).
  • Guarapari — Brazil's clearest hunting water: the Escalvada and Rasa islands, 6 miles offshore, give 20–25 m visibility and the country's richest marine biodiversity.
  • Anchieta — South of Guarapari, with headlands and islands at Castelhanos, Ubu and Iriri; clear water like Guarapari's, visibility 10–20 m, 22–27 °C.
  • Piúma — A fishing village in southern Espírito Santo, dominated by Monte Aghá with the Gambá and Cabritos islands offshore.

Bahia Coast

The Bahia coast (Ilhéus, Itacaré, Morro de São Paulo) — warm tropical reef and coral shelves, clearest in the dry spring–summer.

  • Caravelas — Caravelas is the gateway to Abrolhos Marine National Park, Brazil's most famous reef — but WARNING: inside the park (~70 km offshore) spearfishing is TOTALLY banned (no-take), it's an info-zone only.
  • Prado — Prado, in far-southern Bahia, mixes coloured cliffs, sandstone reefs and sand — shore dives 5–12 m over the reefs, warm water 25–28 °C.
  • Porto Seguro — Porto Seguro is classic southern-Bahia sandstone reef: reef lines parallel to the beach forming pools and channels, shallow shore dives 4–10 m, warm water 26–29 °C.
  • Santa Cruz Cabrália — Santa Cruz Cabrália, just north of Porto Seguro, has Coroa Vermelha and shallow sandstone reefs that dry at low tide — shore dives 4–10 m, warm water 26–29 °C.
  • Ilhéus — Ilhéus marks the start of southern Bahia's granite reef coast: boulders, slabs and reefs, shore dives 3–12 m, warm water 25–29 °C, visibility 6–15 m.
  • Itacaré — Itacaré is granite reef coast among forest and beach-break beaches — boulders and slabs, shore dives 3–12 m, warm water 25–29 °C, visibility 6–12 m.
  • Maraú — The Maraú Peninsula (Barra Grande, Ponta do Mutá) closes southern Bahia's granite reef coast — boulders, slabs and reefs, shore dives 3–15 m, warm water 26–29 °C, visibility 6–15 m on clear days.
  • Cairu (Morro de São Paulo) — Cairu / Morro de São Paulo, in the Tinharé archipelago, mixes coral reef and sand — shallow dives 3–12 m, warm water 26–29 °C.
  • Salvador — In Salvador the hunting is on the ocean face (Farol da Barra → Itapuã), with rocky reef 5–12 m from shore, warm water 25–29 °C.
  • Mata de São João (Praia do Forte) — Praia do Forte (Mata de São João), on the Costa dos Coqueiros north of Salvador, has sandstone reefs that form pools at low tide — shallow shore dives 5–12 m, warm water 26–29 °C.

Coral Coast

Alagoas–Pernambuco's Coral Coast — warm, clear reef pools inside a protected APA (mind the no-take zones).

  • Cabo de Santo Agostinho — Cabo de Santo Agostinho, south of Recife, has Enseada dos Corais — reef and rock recommended for spearfishing, shore dives 6–15 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Ipojuca (Porto de Galinhas) — Porto de Galinhas (Ipojuca) is a postcard of reefs and natural pools, warm water 27–30 °C — but WARNING: the shoreline pools are protected and packed with tourist rafts; spearfishing is not allowed there.
  • Maceió — Maceió has crystal pool-green water and sandstone reefs a few metres off the beach (Ponta Verde, Riacho Doce), 5–12 m, 27–30 °C.
  • Barra de São Miguel — Barra de São Miguel, south of Maceió, is sheltered by a reef barrier that forms the Praia do Gunga pool, warm water 27–30 °C.
  • João Pessoa — João Pessoa sits at the easternmost point of the Americas (Ponta do Seixas), with sandstone reefs like Picãozinho and Seixas a few metres off the beach, 6–15 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Cabedelo — Cabedelo, north of João Pessoa, is famous for the Areia Vermelha sandbank (which surfaces at spring low tide) and for offshore reefs and wrecks, 6–15 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Baía da Traição — Baía da Traição, on Paraíba's north coast, has sheltered coves, sandstone reefs and sand — shore dives 5–12 m, warm water 27–29 °C.

Potiguar-Ceará Coast

The Potiguar–Ceará coast (Natal, Fortaleza) — warm reefs under steady trade winds; fish the calm early mornings.

  • Baía Formosa — Baía Formosa, in far-southern Rio Grande do Norte, combines cliffs, sandstone reefs and a sheltered fishing cove — shore dives 6–15 m, warm water 26–29 °C.
  • Tibau do Sul (Pipa) — Pipa (Tibau do Sul) is coloured cliffs, sandstone reefs and the famous Baía dos Golfinhos — shore dives 6–15 m, warm water 26–29 °C.
  • Natal — Natal has sandstone reefs along the waterfront (Ponta Negra, Via Costeira) and parrachos offshore, warm water 27–29 °C, shore dives 6–15 m.
  • Touros — Touros marks Brazil's northeast corner, where the coast turns from east-facing to north-facing — long sandstone reefs and the Cajueiro, shore dives 6–15 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Icapuí — Icapuí is Ceará's first municipality coming from RN, with Ponta Grossa and Redonda tucked between cliffs — shallow sandstone reefs 6–15 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Beberibe (Morro Branco) — Beberibe brings together Morro Branco and Praia das Fontes, with coloured-sand cliffs and sandstone reefs — shore dives 6–15 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Aquiraz (Porto das Dunas) — Aquiraz (Porto das Dunas, Prainha) is just east of Fortaleza, with sandstone reefs and sand — shallow shore dives 5–12 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Fortaleza — In Fortaleza the shore hunting is on the Praia do Futuro sandstone reefs and spots outside the port, 5–12 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Paracuru — Paracuru, west of Fortaleza, has sandstone reefs and the rocky point by the Curu river mouth — shallow shore dives 5–12 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
  • Trairi (Flecheiras) — Trairi (Flecheiras, Mundaú) has sandstone reefs that form natural pools at low tide and water that is notably clear for Ceará — shore dives 6–15 m, warm water 27–29 °C.
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Frequently asked questions

Rules current as of 2026 — always confirm with ICMBio/IBAMA and the local authority before you go. Recreational spearfishing on breath-hold only (no scuba); protected species such as the goliath grouper (mero) are fully banned, and the marine APAs and national parks set their own no-take zones.

Do I need a licence?

Yes — the Licença de Pesca Amadora from gov.br. Speargun fishing is issued as «embarcada» (R$ 60/yr) even from shore. Pensioners, men 65+ and women 60+ are exempt. Foreigners without a CPF can get it too. Carry it with you.

Can I shoot a mero (goliath grouper)?

No. The mero (Epinephelus itajara) has been under an open-ended moratorium since 2002, CR status — a full ban on catching, holding and transporting it year-round, fines up to R$ 100,000 plus gear seizure. Garoupa-verdadeira is a different species: allowed at 47–73 cm outside the closed season (1 Nov–28 Feb).

Can I spearfish on scuba?

No. Breath-hold only. Portaria 616/2022 (Art. 4 §3) expressly bans artificial-breathing apparatus while spearfishing — scuba, compressor and hookah. Scuba with a gun is only for science or photography without fishing gear.

Where's the best visibility, and when?

The Região dos Lagos upwelling (Arraial do Cabo/Cabo Frio) gives the clearest, coldest water in the Southeast, often year-round, on a NE wind. Guarapari (Espírito Santo) has the best warm visibility (20–25 m) in the dry summer, away from the Rio Doce plume. There's no national season; pick the day by wind and forecast.

Is there a shark risk?

Along most of the coast the risk is low, but at Recife (Pernambuco, Boa Viagem beach) it is real — one of the world's zones with documented attacks. There, don't hunt close to shore or keep speared fish on a stringer against your body. In the Southeast and South, with normal care, the risk is small.