Paripueira Beach and Natural Pools

Paripueira is the municipality just north of Maceió, past Ipioca. It’s known for the natural pools formed on the reefs off its beach, inside the Costa dos Corais APA, the federal protected area managed by ICMBio. Unlike the Pajuçara pools, here visits are regulated by the APA itself, with codes of conduct, operator authorization and a daily visitor limit.

The Costa dos Corais APA

The Costa dos Corais APA was created in 1997 and, according to ICMBio, covers more than 400,000 hectares of marine and coastal area between northern Alagoas and southern Pernambuco. It protects reefs, mangroves, estuaries and species such as the West Indian manatee.

In Paripueira, the 2021 Public Use Plan lists the beach, the Paripueira Natural Pool, Davi’s Pool and the Canal da Ostra, a diving spot, among the attractions. The codes of conduct and the authorization of service providers in Paripueira date back to the APA’s Ordinance No. 08/2009 and were ratified in the 2013 Management Plan.

How the trip works

According to Paripueira City Hall:

• The trip leaves from Paripueira beach, on catamarans and speedboats.
• The crossing takes about 12 minutes by catamaran or 8 minutes by speedboat.
• The trip lasts about 2 hours on average.
• The boats are run by sailors and crew licensed by the Brazilian Navy.
• There are optional services, such as accompanied scuba diving, snorkel rental and underwater photography.

The tide is in charge

As with every natural pool, the visit depends on low tide. The APA rules tie trips to times close to low water. The guidance published by Paripueira City Hall is that on tides with a low of 0.7 m or more, trips are restricted. This mainly happens on neap tide days, around the first and last quarter moons.

The tide reference is the table for the port of Maceió, published by the Navy. See how to read it in the Maceió tide table guide.

Visitor limit

The APA uses the Visitor Benchmark Number (NBV), which sets how many visitors and boats can go to the pools each day. In high season and on holidays, operators’ places may run out. Book ahead and check that the operator is authorized.

Code of conduct

Best time to go

Paripueira City Hall recommends summer as the most favorable period, when there’s less chance of rain and the water is usually clearer. Even then, it’s the tide that decides the day.

Paripueira or Pajuçara?

If you only have one day with a good tide, the Pajuçara pools require less travel. With more days, Paripueira combines well with Ipioca and Riacho Doce on the way back. Plan the outing with the guide to the beaches of the Alagoas north coast. The pools farther north, such as Maragogi’s, are covered in the Maceió and Maragogi guide.