Taocas natural pools boat trip

Taocas is one of four reef areas off Maragogi where boats stop, lying roughly straight out from the town centre, 3.5 to 4 km from the beach and a little south of the Galés, the famous ones. The catamaran ride takes about 20 minutes. The pools are a bit smaller than the Galés and see fewer people, with much the same clear water, fish and coral.

Visitor numbers on these reefs are capped and the boats take turns, so a trip sold simply as the natural pools may end up at Taocas, the Galés or Barra Grande; ask which before paying. Trips run only at low tide, leaving at any time between early morning and mid-afternoon depending on the tide, and spend about an hour and a half at the reef before returning on the same boat. Catamarans carry up to 54 people, schooners and speedboats far fewer. Snorkel hire, guided scuba and underwater photos are sold on board. No walking on the coral and no feeding the fish.