Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Gruta Azul lies on the outer side of Ilha de Cabo Frio, facing the open sea. Its entrance has a triangular shape, compared to a Gothic cathedral, and the 3 m wide opening leads into a chamber 15 m high. The chamber walls have golden and silver tones that turn blue depending on the intensity of the sunlight. Inside, a gap at the top, known as the siphon, lets sunlight in and tints the water blue. The interior also has a crack in the rock 2 to 3 m in diameter, forming a tube up to the surface that lets light in.
The inner walls are covered in mussels and, further in, there are red anemones, some of them seen eating jellyfish. At least two divers have died in the cave in the past; the risk lies in the strong surge of water in and out and in the ascent through the tube that leads to the surface.
The cave belongs to the same dive area as Saco dos Ingleses, where the wreck of the British frigate Thetis lies; she struck Ilha do Farol on 5 December 1830 carrying gold and silver. After the wreck, the British set up a large structure and recovered part of the treasure.
Information on this page, including technical data such as depth, current, visibility, access, and recommended level, is informational and may vary. Confirm actual conditions with a local operator before the dive.
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