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Guide · Southeast Brazil

Spearfishing in Southeast Brazil

The Southeast holds much of Brazilian spearfishing: from the sandstone reef of southern Bahia to the São Paulo archipelagos, with the Espírito Santo islands and the Região dos Lagos upwelling in between. It is also the stretch with the most water closed by an act.

Three things before you read on: the federal licence is always mandatory, shore entry included; hunting is apnea only; and the zone survey is partial — outside the known zones the rules are not confirmed.

Open the flagship — Arraial do Cabo →

Season, water and visibility

Southern Bahia is warm water year-round, 25–29 °C, over shallow sandstone reef; the mesotidal range (~2.3 m) moves the visibility and river plumes shut it after rain — best in the dry season. From Ilhéus south the granite rocky coast and the microtidal range (~1.3 m) begin: there the wind and the E/SE swell rule.

Espírito Santo gives 22–27 °C and 8–18 m of visibility, with 20–25 m at the offshore islands of Guarapari (~6 miles out); best December to April. In Rio the Região dos Lagos upwelling rules: on a NE wind cold, clear water rises — 16–24 °C, down to 14 °C in summer at Arraial do Cabo — and visibility goes past 15 m, best April to October; a SW wind switches it off. In São Paulo, 20–26 °C, ~20 m in summer and ~10 m in winter.

Cities and spot types

Four spot families. Sandstone reef with a shore entry: Porto Seguro, Prado, Santa Cruz Cabrália, Praia do Forte. Granite rocky coast: Ilhéus, Itacaré, Maraú, Niterói, Maricá, Caraguatatuba, Guarujá. Offshore islands and ledges, boat spots: Guarapari (Escalvada, Rasa), Cabo Frio (Laje do Peró, Ilha do Breu), Búzios, Ubatuba (Couves), Ilhabela (Búzios and Vitória). And wrecks: Victory 8B at Guarapari (18–36 m). Fish repeated in the city notes: grouper, badejo, robalo, olho-de-boi, olhete, sargo, dourado and octopus.

Licence and federal rules

The RGP amateur licence is always mandatory, shore entry included: Decreto nº 8.425/2015, art. 3º §1º II exempts from the register only those fishing «com linha de mão ou caniço simples», and a speargun is not in that exception. Two categories depending on boat use; one year at most (art. 8º §4º).

Portaria SAP/MAPA nº 616/2022 supplies the rest: art. 4º IV allows «espingarda de mergulho ou arbalete com qualquer tipo de propulsão e qualquer tipo de seta», §3º leaves the activity in apnea only, and art. 8º sets 15 kg plus one specimen per person at sea — a floor, local regimes can be stricter. Art. 2º subjects the amateur to closed seasons, sizes and closed areas.

Closed seasons by species and the 2026 list

A closed season is the species, not the place: inside the window you do not take that fish, and any other legal fish in the same water stays legal. On 28 April 2026 Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026 published the new national list and revoked Portaria MMA nº 445/2014; Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 placed the EW/CR/EN and VU categories under integral protection, and the peroá and badejo-mira close on 25 October 2026 (art. 12, 180 days). Lobster, when diving, is closed all year — Portaria SAP/MAPA nº 221/2021, art. 6º III.

Closed zones, state by state

Rio de Janeiro is the most closed state. The RESEX Marinha do Arraial do Cabo allows amateur hunting only to a «Beneficiário C» authorised by ICMBio (Portaria ICMBio nº 895/2020, §69) — in practice, shut to visitors. The ESEC de Tamoios, with its 1 km ring, closes part of the Ilha Grande bay; the Ilhas Cagarras and the Pão de Açúcar are no-take under Lei nº 9.985/2000; the Parque Estadual da Costa do Sol (Decreto RJ nº 42.929/2011) reaches the Laje do Peró. Resolução SSP-RJ nº 0451/1981 closes 200 m from the arrebentação on beaches with bathers (art. 4º V) and permits rocky costões without bathers (art. 2º item 5) — a consolidated text, its 2026 force unconfirmed.

In Espírito Santo the Arquipélago das Três Ilhas (APA de Setiba) is closed: IN IEMA nº 04/2016 bans «Caça e pesca subaquática … com a utilização de arpões, arbaletes, tridentes» and IEMA seizes gear; also closed are the Parque Estadual Paulo César Vinha and, in Vitória, the Lameirão and Jacarenema. Portaria nº 7/CPES of 05/02/2025 closes the Morro da Pescaria–Ilha da Raposa channel to navigation, not to fishing. In São Paulo: Ilha Anchieta, Laje de Santos, Xixová-Japuí, zones of the APA Marinha do Litoral Norte (Decreto SP nº 66.823/2022) and CEBIMar/USP (Portaria IBAMA 1.132/1989). In Bahia: Abrolhos and the Recife de Fora are no-take, the RESEX do Corumbau closes diving with capture to non-beneficiaries (item 15), Lei de Salvador nº 9.774/2023 closes 500 m off the Ilha dos Frades and NPCP-BA closes the Itaparica «raia magnética».

Safety, traffic and access

Cold is this stretch's own risk: with the upwelling the water can drop to 14 °C in midsummer and the thermocline arrives at once — right suit, short session. The offshore islands carry strong currents and ask for a support boat and a float; on the open coast the southern swell rules — dive only in a small sea.

The other risk is traffic: the port of Santos, Ubu at Anchieta, the port zone of Macaé, the São Sebastião channel and the schooners of Angra and Paraty — a clearly visible float, always. The bay waters (Guanabara, the inner side of Todos-os-Santos) are murky or polluted: hunt on the ocean face. Reef and rocky coasts, from the beach; offshore islands and ledges, by boat.

Where to dive, by region

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.
  • Santos — A port city at the mouth of the Santos estuary: the urban water is dark and turbid most of the year, and on 27/08/2026 CETESB failed 7 of 7 bathing-water points along the seafront.

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.
  • Maricá — Sixty kilometres separated Niterói from Saquarema in the atlas, and Maricá is the middle: the Ponta Negra lighthouse headland is the only ocean headland between Itacoatiara and Saquarema, and the Maricás archipelago sits 4–9 km offshore.

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.
  • Itapemirim — Itaoca and Itaipava have headland and ledges with shore entry, and the most-dived island on this stretch — Ilha dos Franceses — belongs here administratively, not to Piúma.

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.
  • Camaçari — Guarajuba and Itacimirim close the 60 km hole between Praia do Forte and Salvador: sandstone reef with natural pools 0.
  • Vera Cruz — The ocean side of Itaparica island, from Ponta de Areia to Cacha Pregos, is headland and reef — and until now the whole island had no city in the atlas.
  • Trancoso — Trancoso, Espelho and Caraíva fill the 95 km between Porto Seguro and Prado: sandstone reef and headland, with the Sofia and Pitiaçu reefs named on the chart.
  • Alcobaça — Alcobaça closes the 30 km between Prado and Caravelas, and the evidence is strong: one of Bahia's most-watched spearfishing videos was filmed here by a local team.
  • Nova Viçosa — The historic gateway for spearfishing in far-southern Bahia: expeditions documented from 2011 to 2023, one of them stating outright that they fished the Abrolhos banks in a «permitted area», i.
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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 entering from the beach?

Yes. Decreto nº 8.425/2015, art. 3º §1º II exempts from the register only those fishing «com linha de mão ou caniço simples»; a speargun is not in there, and the licence must be carried in the water (Portaria 616/2022, art. 17).

When is the garoupa-verdadeira closed?

From 1 November to 28 February in all Brazilian water, size 47–73 cm (Portaria SG/MMA nº 41/2018). The closed season belongs to the species, not to the place: any other legal fish in that same water stays legal.

Official source ↗
May I spear in the Arraial do Cabo RESEX?

In practice, no. Portaria ICMBio nº 895/2020, §69 allows amateur spearfishing only to the ICMBio-authorised «Beneficiário C», which a visitor is not. More water is closed nearby: the ESEC de Tamoios with its 1 km ring, and the Ilhas Cagarras, no-take under Lei nº 9.985/2000.

Official source ↗