Nine days of searching, and still no certainty
Ao largo de Ilhabela, no litoral norte de São Paulo, o mar guarda suas respostas com demora e custo alto. No nono dia de buscas por Dheorge Pereira Bernardino, de 28 anos, desaparecido desde 24 de maio após sair de moto aquática com uma amiga, agentes da Defesa Civil encontraram um corpo nas águas — mas a identidade ainda não foi confirmada. Sua companheira, Bruna Damaris Sant'Anna da Silva, de 26 anos, foi resgatada viva após 42 horas à deriva, com hipotermia e desidratação. A descoberta suspende, por ora, a espera — sem ainda encerrá-la.
- Um corpo foi encontrado nas águas de Ilhabela na segunda-feira, 1º de junho, após nove dias de buscas intensas por Dheorge Pereira Bernardino, desaparecido desde 24 de maio.
- A operação mobilizou bombeiros marítimos, Defesa Civil, Marinha do Brasil e pescadores locais, varrendo o litoral norte paulista em turnos que se estenderam pela madrugada.
- Um celular preso à moto aquática com bateria quase descarregada impediu qualquer rastreamento nas horas críticas do desaparecimento, deixando equipes de resgate sem sinal para seguir.
- Bruna, a companheira de Dheorge, sobreviveu após 42 horas à deriva — resgatada por pescadores em estado de hipotermia e desidratação, ela é a única testemunha direta do que aconteceu.
- A identidade do corpo ainda não foi confirmada, e a incerteza persiste para a família e os amigos que mantiveram contato constante com as equipes de busca durante toda a operação.
No nono dia de buscas, agentes da Defesa Civil encontraram um corpo nas águas próximas à costa de Ilhabela, litoral norte de São Paulo. Se os restos mortais pertencem a Dheorge Pereira Bernardino, de 28 anos, ainda não se sabe — as autoridades investigam, mas nenhuma confirmação foi feita até o momento.
Tudo começou na tarde de 24 de maio, quando Dheorge e sua amiga Bruna Damaris Sant'Anna da Silva, de 26 anos, saíram de moto aquática de uma festa em um barco ancorado perto da Praia da Ponta das Canas. Quando não voltaram, os amigos acionaram os serviços de emergência. A busca cresceu rapidamente: pescadores, Corpo de Bombeiros Marítimo e Marinha do Brasil se uniram ao esforço.
Bruna foi encontrada viva por pescadores após cerca de 42 horas à deriva. Confusa, com frio intenso e extremamente desidratada, ela foi retirada do mar e recebeu atendimento médico. Dheorge, porém, não foi localizado. Um detalhe complicou as buscas desde o início: um celular preso à moto aquática estava com a bateria quase esgotada, tornando impossível qualquer rastreamento nas horas mais críticas.
O corpo foi encontrado pelos agentes da Defesa Civil, que acionaram os bombeiros marítimos para o transporte. Após nove dias de operações — barcos cruzando o mar, mergulhadores descendo às profundezas, familiares e amigos em vigília constante — a descoberta representa um possível desfecho. Mas enquanto a identidade não for confirmada, a espera, para quem conhecia Dheorge, ainda não terminou.
Nine days into the search, rescuers found a body in the waters off Ilhabela on Monday, June 1st. Whether it belongs to Dheorge Pereira Bernardino, the 28-year-old man who vanished a week earlier, remains unknown. Authorities are investigating, but no confirmation has been made.
The search began after Dheorge and a friend, Bruna Damaris Sant'Anna da Silva, 26, decided to take a jet ski out from a party aboard a boat anchored near Ponta das Canas beach on May 24th. Around 4 p.m., the two set out across the water. When they didn't return within a reasonable time, their friends grew worried and called for help. What started as a local response quickly expanded—fishermen, the Maritime Fire Brigade, and the Brazilian Navy all joined the effort to find them.
Bruna's story became one of survival. After roughly 42 hours adrift in the ocean, fishermen spotted her struggling in the water. She was confused, shaking from cold, desperately thirsty. Hypothermia and dehydration had taken their toll, but she was alive. She was pulled from the sea and received medical attention. Dheorge, however, never surfaced. The search continued through the nights, with friends maintaining constant contact with rescue teams, hoping for any sign of him.
One detail haunted the operation: a cell phone remained inside the jet ski itself. Its battery was nearly dead, making it impossible to track or call for help. In those first critical hours, when location and communication mattered most, that dead phone meant rescuers had only the last known position and the accounts of worried friends to guide them.
The body discovered on Monday was located by Civil Defense agents, who immediately called the Maritime Fire Brigade to assist with transport. Where it would be taken and when identification would occur was not immediately disclosed. The discovery came after nine full days of searching—nine days of boats moving across the water, of divers descending into darkness, of families and friends waiting for news that might never come. Until authorities confirm the identity, the uncertainty remains. For those who knew Dheorge, the waiting continues.
Notable Quotes
The woman was confused, with cold and thirst after 42 hours in the sea— Fishermen who rescued Bruna Damaris Sant'Anna da Silva
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it take so long to identify a body recovered from the sea?
The ocean changes things. Nine days in saltwater, currents, temperature—it affects how quickly visual identification is possible. They'll likely need dental records or DNA, which takes time.
The woman survived 42 hours. What's the difference between her and him?
Luck, partly. She found something to hold onto, or the current carried her toward the fishing boats. He may have been pulled under immediately, or separated from the jet ski. We don't know yet.
That phone in the jet ski—could it have saved him?
Maybe. If it had power, rescuers could have pinged it, known exactly where to look. Instead, they were searching an area, hoping. By the time they found anything, it was too late.
What happens to the friends who called for help?
They wait. They've been waiting since May 24th. Now they wait to know if the body is him, and then they grieve. There's no quick end to this.
Was this a reckless decision—going out on a jet ski?
It was a party, a moment. People do this all the time on that coast. The difference between a good story and a tragedy is often just the weather, the current, one small thing going wrong.