Baía do Sueste

Baía do Sueste, on the Mar de Fora side of Fernando de Noronha, is a sheltered bay where the sea tends to be calm throughout the year. The 6.8 km BR-363 highway ends at the bay, and the ruins of Forte São Joaquim stand to the left of the beach. In 1619, Pedro de Castro set out from Recife with ten soldiers, stayed two days on the island and described in his report the conditions for landing, the seabed and the winds of the baía de Sueste. The islet of Chapéu de Sueste lies in the bay and is linked to the main island at low tide. The bay also holds the only mangrove on the oceanic islands of the South Atlantic, estimated to have taken hold about 2,000 years ago, with trees up to 10 m tall. "O Monstro do Sueste" (the Sueste Monster) is among the legends of Fernando de Noronha.

The bay is one of the archipelago's main feeding areas for green turtles, and many turtles also use it to get cleaned. Green turtles have been recorded moving to particular spots in the bay, near rocky outcrops, and pausing at mid-water to be cleaned by small groups of sergeant majors. The bay is a breeding, nursery and feeding area for lemon sharks, and their pups can be seen there. Farther out, nurse sharks, octopuses, lobsters, turtles and many species of fish appear. The coral Mussismilia hispida is small in size in the bay, but in number of individuals it was one of the best displays observed.

Tiger sharks also frequent the bay, mainly to hunt, above all turtles. Two serious incidents with tiger sharks were recorded there, in 2015 and 2022; the one in January 2022 struck an 8-year-old girl.