Ilha Escalvada

Ilha Escalvada takes its name from the Portuguese word "calva" (bald), for the bare look of its summit, dominated by pale rocks. In 1895 the Brazilian Navy requested a lighthouse for the tip of Ilha da Raposa, but after inspecting the lighthouses of Espírito Santo, naval engineer Marques Couto recommended placing it on Escalvada, a deserted rock about 4 miles from the original site. The lighthouse was inaugurated on 21 August 1907, with a 16.5 m iron tower and a 5th-order white light with a range of 15 miles. It served as a landmark for boats heading to the port of Guarapari, then the most important south of Vitória, from which monazite sand was exported until 1940. It was later converted to acetylene gas and today uses an acrylic lantern powered by solar energy.

When the lighthouse was modernized, the old steel cylinders that held the gas were thrown into the sea and became a point of interest for divers. Being away from the coast, the site serves as a shelter for several species of fish and other marine animals. The coral heads are home to octopuses, nudibranchs, cleaner shrimp, young turtles and rare invertebrates, and surgeonfish and schools of fish appear alongside them. Near the rocky shore there are corals with many marine aquarium fish, and it is possible to encounter dolphins or manta rays. Around the island you can see many fish species in a single dive, and the peixe-anjo tricolor (Holacanthus tricolor) has been photographed there. The best time to dive is usually from December to April.