Natural pools by jangada

Barely 200 metres off the beach in the village of Porto de Galinhas, the reef traps warm, calm pools at low tide, full of small fish, crabs and sea urchins. The traditional way out is on a jangada, a flat-bottomed raft with a triangular sail, steered from the back with a long pole and taking up to six people. Buy a ticket at the jangadeiros' association booth by the Portal at the beach entrance, where the price is fixed, and you are sent to the next raft in line, like a taxi rank. The ride lasts about an hour: along the village shore, a look at the main pools, then a stop to swim and snorkel. Bring a mask if you have one.

Trips run only on a low tide of about 0.5 m or less, so times change daily; the jangadeiros post them on social media, and the new and full moons give the lowest water. Once the water drops below the top of the coral, the main pool is for looking only and the raft stops at another spot for swimming. Wear sandals against the coral and urchins, and stay out of the roped-off areas. On very low tides you can also wade out for free, chest deep, but council environment staff run a queue and let people onto the reef in groups of 30 for 15 minutes at a time.