the canal, located between são conrado and barra da tijuca, releases large amounts of water from the mainland that converge in the lagoa da tijuca and - especially after heavy rains - this can cause visibility to diminish. one thing to keep in mind when planning a diving expedition to the tijucas is that though they are very close to the shore, most tour operators disembark from the marina da glória or from botafogo in the zona sul, which greatly lengthens the journey. a trip from any of these ports to the islands can take anywhere between 60 minutes and 2.5 hours, depending on the type of boat and on the tide.
