Caio Rocha Aguiar Arrabal, 44, was backing down the rock. It is the technique used by those who know the terrain, pressing the body against the rock on the steepest sections. He was at a height of 150 meters, on Pedra do Macaco, Maricá, in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.
He had just taken a photo at the summit. On Sunday the 28th, he was taking part in an excursion not as an official guide, but as support to familiarize himself with the route, according to G1’s reconstruction. He still did not have a formal license to lead groups through São José do Imbassaí.
In the video recorded by other members of the excursion, he can be seen descending backward. At some point he tried to turn his body to complete the descent facing forward. That was when he lost his balance. Someone filming managed to warn him to be careful, just seconds before the fall. The rescue operation took almost four hours because of the dense vegetation and the inaccessibility of the place.