Enseada de Maramutá

Enseada de Maramutá is a small inlet on the inner side of Ilha de Cabo Frio, next to a small beach near the Boqueirão, the strait between the island and the mainland. The quantity and variety of marine life make the inlet a good spot for close-up and macro photography.

Maramutá has areas with patches of cover by the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum, and the most abundant fishes include Stegastes fuscus, Stephanolepis hispidus, Halichoeres poeyi and Labrisomus nuchipinnis. In the shallow areas, urchins (Echinometra lucunter), colonies of Millepora alcicornis and macroalgae are the most representative organisms. Along the zone of contact with the bottom, the gorgonian Phyllogorgia dilatata and the coral Siderastrea stellata are abundant.

On dives in Arraial do Cabo it is common to come across rays, turtles and moray eels and, rarely, schools of dolphins. At certain times of the year, penguins tend to appear on the beaches and whales along the coast of the region.