Ilha de Porto Belo (trilhas subaquáticas)

The island has six underwater trails, and one of them circles the island with small underwater signs showing divers the way. Along the trails you can see plenty of corals and small fish, and when diving, whether snorkeling or scuba, you can see a wide variety of fish, crustaceans, sea stars, sea urchins and algae. Summer, from December to March, tends to be the best time to dive at the island.

Once called Ilha Bella das Garoupas, the island officially bears the name of João da Cunha Bittencurt, who bought it in 1826 for 600 mil réis and set up a clandestine whaling station on it. João da Cunha was the island's second owner and an important public figure in Porto Belo. A site with the remaining structures of this whaling station, built in 1826, has been recorded. In 1953, Ernesto Stodieck Jr. and his wife bought the island for leisure and preservation, and in 1994 their grandchildren started the current tourism venture.

The island holds the Pedra da Cruz petroglyphs, left by Neolithic peoples more than four thousand years ago and visible from the nature trail. At the center of the island lies the Porto Belo 3 archaeological site, recorded in 1966: a 5 m² diabase rock wall engraved with concentric circles, wavy lines, quadrilaterals and plant figures.