Every beach

South

An 18th-century whaling station turned fishing village — calmer at the south end, surf at the north, boats to Ilha do Campeche.

Open sea · Road

South

Over the footbridge from Armação and ten minutes on foot — no road, no buildings, east-swell surf.

Open sea · Trail

South

The island's fishing port and its beginner surf — long gentle waves tamed by the canal, surf schools everywhere.

Calm · Road

South

The little cove over the canal footbridge — Atlantic character, soft waves.

Open sea · Trail

South

The offshore one — clear calm water and 5,000-year-old rock art, capped at ~800 visitors a day. Boats from Campeche, Armação and Barra da Lagoa; book the R$15 ticket ahead.

Calm · Boat

South

3.5 km of white sand and a proper right-hander — Saint-Exupéry landed his mail plane here. Boats to Ilha do Campeche leave from this end.

Open sea · Road

South

Campeche's rougher continuation — consistent surf, risky swimming.

Open sea · Road

South

The costão at the end of the Rendeiras — flat, crystal lagoon water off the rocks. Not to be confused with the mapped Praia do Gravatá, a tiny Atlantic cove between Mole and Joaquina.

Calm · Trail

South

Naturist since the 1970s and a protected park — no buildings, no vehicles. Walk in from the north end of Mole (~1.2 km).

Open sea · Trail

South

Surf championships since the seventies; sandboarding was invented on its dunes.

Open sea · Road

South

Surf and kite championships, hang-gliders landing on the sand, the young and the beautiful.

Open sea · Road

South

The fishing village with the fish restaurants — the sheltered end of the bay stays flat.

Calm · Road

Via Trilha Lagoinha do Leste. No road, no kiosks, bring everything.

Open sea · Trail

Where the paved road ends — forested slopes, tainha fishing, few people.

Open sea · Road

A sheltered 75 m cove past the end of the Solidão road — no road, no services, shellfish on the rocks. Trilha do Saquinho gets you there.

Calm · Trail

South coast, open Atlantic — a long, quiet, well-preserved strand facing the Três Irmãs islets, ~2 km from Pântano do Sul village. Easy free parking; space to yourself even in season.

Open sea · Road

South

Sheltered fishing community at the island's end — more waterfront than bathing beach, but it's the Naufragados trailhead and where boats leave for the Araçatuba fort.

Calm · Road

South

Southern tip, trail-in only. Worth the walk — deserted sand, the 1861 lighthouse, and the fortress island of Araçatuba across the strait. Rustic beach bars, nothing else.

Open sea · Trail

South

A 520 m bay beach by the air base and one of the south's oldest fishing colonies — Ilha das Laranjeiras sits 200 m offshore for the SUP-inclined.

Calm · Road

North

2.8 km of warm, barely-sloping water carrying on from Canasvieiras — part of a 10 km walkable sweep of sand.

Calm · Road

North

Near-waveless bay water — come for the promenade, the views and the restaurants rather than a swim.

Calm · Road

North

The north's mass-tourism hub — very shallow warm water, Argentine crowds, bilingual everything.

Calm · Road

North

A 3.5 km sand spit at the Ratones river mouth, backed by mangrove — flat, quiet, family. Strong current off the channel tip.

Calm · Road

North

Below the 18th-century Fortaleza de São José da Ponta Grossa — oyster farms and feet-in-the-sand seafood, no hotels.

Calm · Road

North

Five kilometres that work like a small city — hotels and bilingual services, calmer at the south end, surf at the north, the island's biggest dune field behind.

Open sea · Road

North

A string of six tiny coves with natural pools between Jurerê and Canasvieiras, ~15 min along the sand from either end. No services — bring a picnic.

Calm · Trail

North

The quieter, residential half of the same beach — shallow flat water, locals' summer houses, families.

Calm · Road

North

Mansions, imported cars and the beach clubs — 'Brazilian Miami'. The same calm 2.2 km of sand as the traditional side.

Calm · Road

North

A 760 m cove of very calm, warm water at the island's tip — still a tainha-fishing nucleus, prized for quiet.

Calm · Road

North

A working fishing colony in among the hotels; the shore is slowly eroding.

Calm · Road

North

The one north-tip beach with real waves — surf, rip currents, and a wall of condo towers.

Open sea · Road

North

Bucolic bay-side fishing village that kept its 19th-century face — named for the prehistoric shell middens found there.

Calm · Road

North

Rustic surf that can hit 8 ft, dune fields, and prehistoric rock carvings on the costão by the resort.

Open sea · Road

North

The island's longest and emptiest beach, inside the Rio Vermelho forest park — surf, dunes, tainha nets, zero infrastructure.

Open sea · Road