Helicoptero

On 4 January 1998, a Maricá Táxi Aéreo Esquilo helicopter took off from Praia da Mombaça, in Angra dos Reis, bound for Rio with two crew members and three passengers. Flying in bad weather, the aircraft had a tail rotor problem and crashed between Ponta do Gambelo and Ponta Grossa. The crew and two passengers reached the surface, but one passenger, a 68-year-old businessman, did not survive, and his body was never found. The fire department's searches did not find the helicopter, which was eventually located by a local fisherman. It was lifted out for technical analysis and later placed back underwater near Laje da Matariz to prevent rapid deterioration.

About two years after the sinking, a storm moved the helicopter some 30 m and destroyed much of what was left of its structure. The turbine, the fuel tank and three rotor blades remain intact. A kind of artificial reef has formed around the wreckage, with a variety of fish and several sea stars. The invasive sun corals Tubastraea coccinea and Tubastraea tagusensis have also been recorded at the site.