Almiro Baraúna

Almiro Baraúna (died 2000) was a Brazilian professional photographer renowned for his underwater photography expertise, including inventing the Barasub waterproof case. On January 16, 1958, aboard the Brazilian Navy ship Almirante Saldanha near Trindade Island, he photographed a Saturn-shaped UFO witnessed by up to 48 crew members, capturing four images with his Rolleiflex camera amid chaos. The photos, developed in his lab and analyzed by naval experts and Cruzeiro do Sul Aerophotogrammetric Service, were deemed genuine initially, though the Navy remained cautious due to his prior UFO photo hoaxes and debunkings, like refuting Ed Keffel's 1953 Barra da Tijuca images. Baraúna was interrogated for hours at the Navy Ministry. He contributed articles and photos to magazines like Mundo Ilustrado, including admitted 1954 tricks and a 1997-confessed 1950s treasure hoax. Posthumously, his nephew Marcelo claimed the Trindade photos were a lab montage, a secret Baraúna took to his grave, sparking debate. The case remains a ufology classic.