Maracajau Reefs

The parrachos de Maracajau are reef flats lying about seven kilometres offshore, and they only work as a destination for a few hours around low tide, when the water over them drops to a metre or two and the reef becomes a series of warm clear pools. Catamarans run out from the beach on a timetable set by the tide tables rather than by convenience, and the sail takes about half an hour. In the water there are reef fish in numbers - sergeant majors, parrotfish, wrasses - over coral and calcareous algae, in visibility that is usually good and occasionally excellent. The reefs are inside a protected area and feeding the fish, once the standard trick, is now restricted. Sea turtles pass through and are sometimes seen from the boat.

What you actually see

• Reef flats seven kilometres out - snorkelling pools only open around low tide.
• A tide-driven timetable - departures fixed by the tables, not by the clock.
• Dense reef fish - sergeant majors, parrotfish and wrasses over the coral.
• Warm shallow water - a metre or two over the reef at the low.

When to go

September to March for the calmest water. Half a day, timed to the tide.

Honest expectations

Trips run only on suitable tides and are cancelled in rough weather, so allow a spare day. Boats can be crowded. Sun on the open reef is intense and there is no shade in the water. Feeding fish is discouraged, so the show is less staged than it once was.

Nearby

Natal and Genipabu are south; Pipa is further down the coast.