WPBdiver:
I was hoping to get some recomendations on charters in the following Brazilian cities- Santos, Guaruja, Ubatuba, Ilha Bela, Anngra dos Deis and Fernando de Noronha.
Any information will be helpful as I am starting from scratch. My wife is from Brazil, but she does not dive and will not be with me on the dive boats. Her Portugues will get me to the boat, but then I will be on my own with my very limited understanding of the language. So an operation that has a DM/anybody that speaks English would be a plus.
I also know almost nothing of what to expect. What do trips usually cost in $USD? What are the customs for tipping the crew? What should I expect of the UW environment? Water temps? Any specific dive sites to request? You get the idea.
Thanks for your help.
OK. In the Santos / Guaruja region, the only decent diving is "Laje de Santos" (22nm out from Santos) and "Queimada Grande".
Laje de Santos is an ecological park so there is some control over the operators and dive boats. There are regular weekly trips by most of the dive boats operating out of Santos/São Vicente.
Queimada Grande is another island about 37miles out from São Vicente or 20 miles out from Itanhaem if you want a shorter boat ride.
Normally Laje is around R$190 to 200 for a 2 cylinder outing.
Queimada Grande is a little more but I haven't looked at the pricing since the last fuel price increase when Laje increased from 160 to 190.
Exchange rate is around R$2.30=USD1.00.
I can't really comment on Ubatuba or Ilha Bela as I don't normally dive them. From talking to colleagues the inshore sites are pretty basic with poor vis but there are some reasonable sites at the end of a longer boat trip. From São Paulo the cost&time/benefit is poor compared to Ilha Grande.
Iwould say, try to hit Angra dos Reis. You'll get more search results on Google if you look for Mergulho Ilha Grande. Some good diving. I like Parcel do Coronel & Queimada Pequena.
There are pousadas on Ilha Grande like the Nautilus where you can do a night dive right off the steps.
There is also quite a good liveaboard Luz do Dia (I've used it 4 times) and I'm now getting mailers for a new Catamaran (Guruça) which appears to be faster and is getting down to the better sites on the outside of Ilha Grande
As for Noronha, no question - some of the best diving in the world, but depending on when in March you intend to go it may already be too late to book.
I booked up 4 months ago for Carnival week (end of Feb, beginning of March) and got some of the last available plane seats. So you'll probably have to find an operator that has a block booking with space or go on a waiting list. It will probably be difficult to get a pousada at this late date.
A 2 cylinder outing was around R$180.00 when I last checked.
We'll be diving with Aguas Claras but there's really not much difference from Atlantis or Noronha Divers.
If you can't get Noronha then I would say your second best option is my favourite, Recife. Some excellent diving on dismantled wrecks from 24m to 48m. Again prices around R$190.00. There is also a Corvette at Recife (55m) but it's a long boat run and around R$400.00.
We do not normally tip in Brazil but I do on liveaboards and when diving the same boats several days running and when I get exceptional service. Tips are well appreciated and are nowhere near the level of the US sphere of influence.
You also have some good options at Guarapari (Espirito Santo) and Abrolhos (liveaboard trips run from Caravelas).
PS. Also Arraial do Cabo (RJ) offers some good diving.