Pedra do Mar

Pedra do Mar lies in the Parque Estadual Marinho da Pedra da Risca do Meio, conceived by the Fundação Netuno with the Projeto Netuno and created by Law No. 12,717 of September 5, 1997. Fishermen call the area's rock formations “riscas” or “cabeços”, and since the park lies in the central part of them, it was named “Pedra da Risca do Meio”. The submerged reefs of the region between Fortaleza and Icapuí are thought to be former river channels or valleys, transformed by the marine regression of about 18,000 years ago, in the Upper Pleistocene.

Pedra do Mar gathers many moray eels, lobsters, parrotfish and ornamental fish, and nurse sharks are commonly seen. Corals of the genus Mussismilia, the star coral Siderastrea stellata, the zoanthid Protopalythoa variabilis, the sponge Aplysina fistularis and sea squirts have also been recorded at the site. In the park, a survey recorded 131 fish species, six of them endemic to Brazil and 13 included on lists of threatened species.

In June 2022, a joint inspection found six marambaias, drums dropped into the water to attract lobsters in illegal fishing, at Pedra do Mar and Cabeço do Arrastado. In Fortaleza, the months from January to June tend to have little wind and to be the most favorable for diving. In the park, dives tend to be concentrated in the first half of the year, since between August and December strong winds tend to make it hard to reach the site.