Aquamundo Barequeçaba

Saint Sebastian, the Roman soldier who defied Diocletian to support his fellow Christians, gave his name to this entire stretch of the São Paulo coast. While his legacy is one of endurance, the waters off Praia de Barequeçaba have historically demanded a different kind of resilience from those who navigated them. In the late 16th century, the English corsair Thomas Cavendish sought refuge within this channel after a catastrophic defeat in Vitória. His arrival here was not a peaceful retreat, but a desperate attempt to regroup before suffering further heavy losses in a single-night confrontation against Portuguese forces led by Diogo de Unhate. The tactical importance of these coastal waters made them a constant stage for conflict, with the island serving as a strategic base for French, Dutch, and English pirates who used the archipelago to gather supplies for their raids against colonial settlements.

From maritime history to the race

Today, the intensity of those historical skirmishes has faded into the calm horizon, but the geography of the channel remains a formidable challenge for swimmers. The nearby Circuito Mares in Ilhabela takes place just one week after this event, highlighting how the currents and shifting tides of this channel define the regional swimming calendar. When you enter the water at Barequeçaba, you are traversing a zone that once saw the passage of vessels involved in the whaling industry at Ponta das Canavieiras, which dominated the local economy until 1850. While the area is now known for recreational activity, the seabed still holds the remnants of over 50 shipwrecks, a silent reminder of the navigational complexity that defined this strait for centuries. Swimmers should be aware that the local currents are influenced by the narrow passage between the mainland and the island, requiring careful observation of the wind-driven swell that can impact the return leg of any course. For those looking for a different setting nearby, the Toque-Toque Pequeno event offers a distinct perspective on the coastline's topography. As you swim, you may glimpse the distant outline of Castelhanos Bay, famously shaped like a heart, which serves as a landmark for the northern reach of these protected waters. The Aquamundo Barequeçaba event, organized by Desafios AQUAMUNDO, brings athletes to this historical corridor every September, maintaining a tradition of maritime engagement in a location where the Portuguese exploratory expedition led by Amerigo Vespucci first made landfall in 1502.