Surfing in Brazil
1 spot in Brazil with surfing schools, with the best months per spot.
Surfing in Brazil at a glance
Surfing in Brazil splits by region more than by one season. Rio de Janeiro, with its own guide on this site, and Saquarema anchor the southeast with a May-to-October winter swell; Florianópolis in the south pairs the sheltered Joaquina beach break with the advanced river-mouth wave at Guarda do Embaú; Maresias on the São Paulo coast gives the closest consistent beach break to São Paulo city; and the warm northeast, from Itacaré in Bahia to the reef breaks of Fernando de Noronha, runs on its own, less documented calendar. Water stays near 27°C year-round in the northeast and swings from the high teens to the high twenties Celsius further south.
Brazil has about 7,500 km of Atlantic coastline, so its surf splits into regions rather than one trip. The southeast (Rio de Janeiro and Saquarema) and the south (Florianópolis) share a winter swell season, the São Paulo coast around Maresias sits close to Brazil's biggest city, and the warm northeast (Itacaré in Bahia, the island of Fernando de Noronha) runs on a different calendar with water close to 27°C year-round.
- Rio de Janeiro's Arpoador and Saquarema's Itaúna anchor the southeast's May-to-October winter swell, with June rated Saquarema's most consistent month by surf-forecast.com
- Florianópolis pairs the sheltered Joaquina beach break with Guarda do Embaú, a river-mouth wave rated one of Brazil's best for advanced surfers nearby
- Maresias on the São Paulo coast is roughly 150-160 km, about 2.5-3 hours by road, from Guarulhos airport, making it the closest well-known surf beach to São Paulo city
- Itacaré in Bahia and Fernando de Noronha's Cacimba do Padre keep the water near 26-28°C year-round, so boardshorts or a rashguard cover most sessions
- Fernando de Noronha has only one airport, reached by a roughly one-hour flight from Recife or a less frequent service from Natal, and local rules limit visitor numbers on the island
When is the best time for surfing in Brazil?
The south and southeast follow one calendar and the northeast follows another. Perfect Wave Travel places the main swell window for the rest of the coast, including the southeast and south, between April and October, which matches the south-east groundswell behind Rio de Janeiro's own season and Saquarema's June peak on surf-forecast.com. Fernando de Noronha and the wider north instead pick up northern swells that run strongest from November to March per the same source, though surf-forecast.com separately rates Cacimba do Padre's single best month as February and Itacarezinho near Itacaré has two conflicting surf-forecast pages, one naming autumn and one naming summer. Check a live forecast before booking a northeast surf trip around a specific month.
| Spot | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio de Janeiro | ||||||||||||
| Saquarema | ||||||||||||
| Florianópolis | ||||||||||||
| Maresias | ||||||||||||
| Fernando de Noronha |
The best spots for surfing in Brazil
| Spot | Water | Level | Best months | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio de Janeiro | Beach, reef & point breaks | All levels, by beach | May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct | Surfing inside the city itself, from Arpoador's rocky point to the sheltered beginner whitewater at Ipanema and the heavy reef at Itacoatiara across Guanabara Bay. See the full Rio de Janeiro surf guide for every beach, its season chart and FAQ. |
| Saquarema | Exposed beach & point break | Intermediate to advanced | Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct | About 100 km up the coast from Rio, Saquarema's Itaúna point has hosted a world tour event and is widely called Brazil's most consistent competitive wave; surf-forecast.com names June as its most reliable month, with clean waves roughly half the time. |
| Florianópolis | Sandbar; river-mouth nearby | Joaquina easier, Embaú advanced | May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep | Santa Catarina's island city pairs the forgiving sandbar at Joaquina beach with Guarda do Embaú, a river-mouth wave to the south rated among Brazil's best for experienced surfers; surf-forecast.com names June as Joaquina's best month, though clean waves there show up only about a quarter of the time. |
| Maresias | Exposed beach break | All levels, crowded | Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug | A beach break on the São Paulo coast, about 2.5-3 hours by road from Guarulhos airport, making it the closest well-known surf beach to São Paulo city. Surf-forecast.com calls it often crowded and rates May as its cleanest month, with a lively beach town behind it. |
| Itacaré | Beach & reef breaks | All levels, by beach | – | A Bahia beach-and-reef town built around a cluster of beaches reachable mostly by boat or trail, with Itacarezinho as the main surf area. Water stays a warm 26-28°C year-round, though surf-forecast.com's own pages disagree on whether autumn or summer gives the most consistent swell. |
| Fernando de Noronha | Exposed reef & beach break | Intermediate to expert | Jan, Feb, Mar | A volcanic archipelago reached only by air from Recife or Natal, with Cacimba do Padre as the main wave, a right-hand beach break that surf-forecast.com rates cleanest and most consistent in February. Environmental rules limit how many visitors can be on the island at once. |
Which Brazil spot suits your surfing level?
Learn at Arpoador's inside section or Ipanema in Rio, or at Joaquina in Florianópolis and the gentler beaches around Itacaré, where small whitewater and local schools suit a first lesson. Avoid Saquarema's Itaúna and Guarda do Embaú until you can read a lineup on your own.
Maresias and the Postinho end of Barra da Tijuca in Rio give steadier beach-break waves to build hours on, with less consequence than a competitive point break.
Saquarema's Itaúna, Guarda do Embaú's river-mouth sections and Fernando de Noronha's Cacimba do Padre around February all reward real experience, and Rio's own Itacoatiara adds a heavier option across Guanabara Bay.
Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis double as full city and island holidays with plenty to do off the water; Fernando de Noronha and Itacaré are quieter, nature-focused bases.
Getting to Brazil and between the spots
Getting to Brazil
Most international flights land at São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU) or Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (GIG), both with frequent connections onward within Brazil. Salvador (SSA), Florianópolis (FLN) and Recife or Natal, the gateway cities for Fernando de Noronha, are mainly reached on a domestic leg after that first international flight, so a multi-region surf trip is usually planned as separate legs rather than one continuous road trip.
Airports
Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport (GIG): for brazil/rio-de-janeiro. Also the usual airport for Saquarema, about 100 km up the coast. São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). Nearest major airport for Maresias, roughly 150-160 km and about 2.5-3 hours by road. Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN). On Santa Catarina Island itself, close to Joaquina and Guarda do Embaú. Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (SSA). Gateway for Itacaré, about 250 km and roughly 5 hours by road, or a shorter transfer via Ilhéus airport. Fernando de Noronha Airport (FEN). The island's only airport, reached by a roughly one-hour flight from Recife or a less frequent service from Natal; no other way in.
Between the spots
Within the southeast, Saquarema is about 100 km from central Rio de Janeiro by road. Between regions, Brazil's size makes a domestic flight the normal choice rather than driving: Rio to Florianópolis or Rio to Salvador are each separate one- to two-hour flights, and Fernando de Noronha is reached only by plane from Recife or Natal, never by road or ferry. Expect each region of a multi-stop trip to be its own flight, not a highway link.
Entry and visa
Citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia need an e-Visa before flying, applied for only through the official portal linked from Brazil's gov.br consular pages; third-party sites that charge extra fees are not the official channel. UK and EU passport holders can visit for tourism for up to 90 days without a visa, and UK government advice asks for a passport valid at least 6 months after arrival. Rules vary by nationality and change at short notice, so confirm on the official Brazilian government visa portal or your nearest consulate before booking.
Money and costs
The currency is the Brazilian real (BRL, symbol R$), subdivided into 100 centavos and issued by the Central Bank of Brazil. Cards and phone payments are widely accepted in cities and surf towns, but carrying some cash still helps for small vendors, buses and transfers. Numbeo's crowd-sourced price data lists a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at around R$35 and a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant at around R$170, though prices vary a lot by city; Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have risen over the past decade and are no longer the bargain they once were.
Climate and water
Brazil spans the equator to well south of the Tropic of Capricorn, so its climate runs from tropical in the north to temperate in the south, according to Wikipedia's overview of Brazil's climate. The northeast stays warmest: surf-forecast.com's own satellite readings put the sea at 26.8°C at Itacarezinho near Itacaré and 27.4°C at Fernando de Noronha's Cacimba do Padre. Further south the sea runs cooler and swings more by season: the same site measured Joaquina in Florianópolis at 20.1°C in late October, with Saquarema and Maresias in the southeast in between at 24.0°C and 22.7°C. Pack a spring suit or shorty for a winter trip south of Rio and boardshorts for the northeast at any time of year.
Safety
UK government travel advice warns that criminals have used dating apps to target foreign visitors in Brazil, leading to drink spiking and theft from bank accounts, and separately flags email scams that try to recruit travellers to carry packages, sometimes containing drugs, through airports. Petty theft on beaches and in cities is common enough that most local guides recommend leaving valuables and jewellery at your accommodation rather than bringing them to the sand. The same advice asks travellers to avoid political rallies and large crowds, including around carnival. Surf-specific hazards vary sharply by break, from Saquarema's rarely-crowded beach break to Itacoatiara's busy, locally dominated lineup near Rio, so check the entry for each spot before paddling out.
Surfing in Brazil: your questions
When is the best time to surf in Brazil?
It depends on the region. The southeast and south, including Rio de Janeiro, Saquarema and Florianópolis, see their main swell from roughly April to October, peaking in winter. Fernando de Noronha and the wider northeast instead pick up northern swells that run strongest from November to March, so check the specific region before you book.
Where should a beginner learn to surf in Brazil?
Rio de Janeiro's Arpoador inside section and Ipanema are the best-known beginner options, taught by local schools such as Escola de Surf Arpoador, with Florianópolis's Joaquina beach and the gentler beaches around Itacaré as other good first-lesson choices. Avoid competitive point breaks like Saquarema's Itaúna until you are independent.
Which Brazilian surf spot is best for advanced surfers?
Saquarema's Itaúna point has hosted a world tour event and is rated Brazil's most consistent competitive wave; Guarda do Embaú near Florianópolis is rated one of the country's best river-mouth waves; and Fernando de Noronha's Cacimba do Padre turns on around February. Rio's own Itacoatiara, across Guanabara Bay, is a heavier city-side option.
How do I get between Brazil's surf regions?
Treat each region as its own trip leg. Rio de Janeiro and Saquarema are a single road trip, about 100 km apart, but Florianópolis, Salvador (for Itacaré) and Fernando de Noronha are each reached by a separate domestic flight, and Fernando de Noronha has no road or ferry access at all, only flights from Recife or Natal.
Do I need a visa to surf in Brazil?
US, Canadian and Australian citizens need an e-Visa applied for only through Brazil's official government portal before flying. UK and EU passport holders can visit for tourism for up to 90 days without a visa. Rules vary by nationality and change at short notice, so confirm on the official Brazilian visa portal before booking.
What does a surf lesson cost in Brazil?
Prices vary by school and region, and schools such as Escola de Surf Arpoador in Rio do not publish rates online, so ask directly before you book. For a general sense of local prices, Numbeo lists an inexpensive restaurant meal in Brazil at around R$35, which gives a rough idea of the cost level you are travelling in.
Do I need a wetsuit to surf in Brazil?
Mostly no in the northeast, where the sea stays around 26-28°C year-round at Itacaré and Fernando de Noronha and boardshorts or a rashguard are enough. Further south around Florianópolis, winter sea temperature drops into the high teens to low twenties Celsius, so a spring suit or shorty is worth packing for a May-to-September trip.
Is surfing in Brazil safe?
Conditions themselves suit surfers of every level across the regions above, but UK government advice flags theft on beaches and in cities, scams linked to dating apps, and crowds at major events as the main risks for visitors generally. In the water, lineups range from Saquarema's rarely-crowded break to Itacoatiara's busy, locally dominated peak near Rio, so ask locally about etiquette at any new spot.
Sources for this guide: Perfect Wave Travel: Brazil surf travel guide, surf-forecast.com: Saquarema, surf-forecast.com: Maresias, surf-forecast.com: Joaquina, surf-forecast.com: Cacimba do Padre, Fernando de Noronha, surf-forecast.com: Itacarezinho, Itacaré, Wikipedia: Climate of South Brazil, MyTransfers: Guarulhos Airport (GRU) to Maresias, daytrip.com: private transfer, Salvador to Itacaré, UK government travel advice: Brazil entry requirements, UK government travel advice: Brazil safety and security, gov.br: Electronic Visitor Visa (e-Visa), Wikipedia: Coastline of Brazil, Wikipedia: Climate of Brazil, Wikipedia: Brazilian real, Wikipedia: São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Wikipedia: Hercílio Luz International Airport, Numbeo: Cost of living in Brazil · Last checked November 2026.