A Brazilian friend once shared with me some secrets of an island chain off the eastern coast of Brazil. I filed the story away like a carefully guarded treasure map in the back of my mind, waiting for the time when I could uncover its riches. Now in the Brazilian city of Recife, I was just an hour and a half away by plane. In preparing to leave, I asked several locals about the spot called Fernando De Noronha. They instantly smiled and said, 'Ahhhhhh, beleza? Beautiful.' Known locally as the 'Emerald of the Atlantic,' this jewel of an island is a premier diving spot in a country that boasts more than 4,000 miles of coastline. Fernando de Noronha is actually part of an archipelago of 21 islands and islets situated 225 miles east of Brazil. The island has a total area of 17 square miles with a north-south orientation. Roughly 70 percent of the island is a protected National Marine Park. The balance of the area houses the 2,000 residents and local businesses. The archipelago's clear, 80-degree water is a diver's dream come true, offering diving and snorkeling sites for all experience levels. For novice divers, Sancho beach and the inlets of Porco and San Antonio, located on the western side, offer tranquil dives with good visibility and minimal current. Experienced divers may want to venture east to Piedra Seca and Yuaias, two sites offering clear conditions and larger schools of fish. I noticed that the resident population of sergeant majors waited for the current to deliver nutrients to their doorstep. Huge schools of horse-eye jacks roamed the entire water column, creating patterns that swirled out of view as I tried to approach. The passing nurse shark was exciting, as all sharks are, but the resident jewfish flaring out its gills to protect its territory really got my juices flowing. In fact, I attempted a few shots with my camera, but couldn't get near the big guy. It obviously was not in the mood for diving paparazzi. Further on, schools of soldierfish lined the cracks and crevices to hide from the current, while spotted eagle rays soared from seamount to seamount using a variety of flight patterns. Advanced divers with appropriate certification may want to venture down to the islands' most noted shipwreck, the Corvetta. The Brazilian Navy destroyer unintentionally sank due to a storm in 1987. She is 150 feet long and rests upright in 200 feet of water with all her armament intact. The wreck is located off the west side of the island and the conditions are typically benign. Since this dive is beyond recreational dive limits, Atlantis Divers teaches a resort course for technical diving. The operator requires divers to be escorted by an instructor who will be carrying extra air and a 40-percent, Nitrox-mix decompression gas. The time on the bottom is limited to 15 minutes, which makes the experience seem to fly by too quickly. I was impressed by the vessel's pristine condition and by the encrusted corals it has attracted, but swimming among the resident jewfish, spotted eagle rays and sharks made it perfect. Beachside Bliss One of the best parts of Fernando is its beaches. Praia da Atalaia has formations of natural pools that harbor a host of invertebrates and the occasional juvenile reef shark. Snorkeling is allowed, but only for 20 at a time. Bring a mask and snorkel, but fins are prohibited. At Baia dos Golphinos just about 5 a.m. every morning, hundreds of spinner dolphins meet to frolic, spin and jump in a daily ritualized meeting of sorts. If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you can swim with them to your heart's content. Praia da Sueste, a flat beach stretching for over half a mile, is on a bay protected by irregular rocky formations that create an ideal nesting area for sea turtles. During high tide, snorkelers have a good chance of encountering some of the sea turtles that use the bay not only as a refuge, but as a good place to take a nap. While there, check out the island's only mangrove swamp on the backside of the beach. It is the only known swamp on an island south of the equator. One of my favorite beaches, Praia da Sancho, has fabulous panoramic cliffside views and a more adventurous approach. The brave who want to reach the beach below will need to climb down two alternating steel ladders that have been welded into a crevice, which eventually lead to a more conventional set of stairs and finally the beach. It might seem intimidating, but it can be done in good-fitting sandals and, ahh, the rewards: A stunning half-moon beach with fabulous snorkeling set against a backdrop of cliffs and swaying coconut trees. The Fernando De Noronha experience was fantastic. For me five days weren't enough. This little paradise is a haven for those who really enjoy the outdoors and appreciate island life. Whether you're a snorkeler, diver, surfer, beachcomber, hiker, bird watcher, mountain biker, kayaker, or just a plain ol' traveler, this place is a must to add to your list.