Divers spot more than 40 sharks in Alcatrazes – 03/22/2024 – Tourism

A group from Ilhabela spotted a school of more than 40 hammerhead sharks in the Alcatrazes archipelago, a marine conservation unit 40 km off the coast on the north coast of São Paulo, last Sunday (17).

The visitors to the site, 15 friends including sailors, surfers and divers, were accompanied by researchers from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, ICMBio, who shared the scene on the institute’s social networks.

According to the agency, the sighting of the shoal is a good sign. “The appearance of schools of shark species is an important indicator of efficiency in protecting the marine environments of Alcatrazes, since these animals occupy the top position in the food chain and their occurrence occurs in places where the environment is in balance” , says the excerpt that accompanies the video.

With 67,364 hectares, the Alcatrazes archipelago is the largest fully protected marine conservation unit in the South and Southeast regions of the country and the second largest in Brazil. More than 1,300 species of flora and fauna have been cataloged in the region, and at least 259 species of fish are protected.

Tourists can visit the Alcatrazes Archipelago Wildlife Refuge through authorized companies —listed on the ICMBio website— to practice snorkeling or for tours dedicated to bird watching.

Access to the islands that make up the archipelago is prohibited, as is any form of fishing and the presence of pleasure craft within the archipelago.