Rio de Janeiro Surf Spots

Arraial do Cabo's main beach break: consistent a-frame peaks over sand, cold upwelling water, and real power once a south swell fills in.

Empty A-frame peaks over shifting sand bars on the wild Massambaba restinga, hollow and unguarded on the Figueira stretch near Arraial do Cabo.

A hike-in break past Itajuru Canal delivering bowly, hollow lefts over boulders and sand when NE wind grooms an E to S swell.

Praia de Unamar is a long, uncrowded beachbreak on Cabo Frio's Tamoios coast, where the resident Valinha Surf Clube keeps a small local scene running at the Pico da Valinha.

Sandy a-frame peaks breaking fast and hollow beside Cabo Frio's 17th-century fort, right in the heart of town.

A powerful sand-bottom a-frame south of Cabo Frio town, known for hollow peaks on classic swells and strong rip currents.

Praia do Peró is a fast, hollow beachbreak north of Cabo Frio, with its middle peak, the Meião do Peró, holding the best waves.

Praia Brava is Cabo Frio's hike-in surf cove, a rock-framed 400 meter beach past Pero where east and southeast swells build powerful peaks for experienced surfers and bodyboarders.

A storied right off Pedra de Itapuca that peels into Guanabara Bay for up to 500 m when a big south swell finally bends in.

A 2.7km Niterói beach break split between a calm, shallow family stretch and a stronger, more powerful peak up the sand.

A secluded trail-access cove between Piratininga and Camboinhas that sits small or flat most days, until a peak storm swell wakes its famous mutant rebound wave.

A hollow, heavy Niteroi beachbreak that packs real punch across three named peaks.

Shock is a violent rock slab behind Pampo Rock at Itacoatiara, ridden by tow-in specialists only on the biggest swells.

A rare, powerful reef break off Camboinhas-Itaipu in Niterói that wakes only a handful of days a year, for experts only.

A soft, sand-bottom a-frame beach break on Niteroi's oceanic coast, the mellow alternative to Itacoatiara next door.

A heavy right-hand corner where waves wrap and wedge along the rocks of Pedra do Pontal in Recreio dos Bandeirantes.

A sand-bottom beach break at Recreio's Posto 11 tower, mellow on small days, powerful when cold-front south swell meets southwest wind.

Farofa is a sheltered left along the west face of Pedra do Pontal, small most days but good size on a south to southwest swell.

Sheltered sandbar corner under Morro do Leme with quick hollow lefts, beginner-friendly small days and heavy Pipeleme barrels when it fires.

A long, consistent beach break in western Rio de Janeiro with punchy peaks, suitable for all skill levels and featuring a lively local vibe.

Posto 4 is a mellow, channel-fed peak in the middle of Barra da Tijuca, walling up at high tide and hollowing out over the bank at low tide.

Praia da Macumba is a consistent Rio beachbreak known for its mellow vibe and popularity among longboarders and surfers of all levels.

Recreio dos Bandeirantes is Rio's most consistent open beach break, a shifting run of a-frame peaks that draws the city's top surfers.

The sheltered fort corner at Posto 6: flat most days, long point rights when a big south swell shuts the open beaches, and a heavy bodyboard ledge off the fort.

Praia do Pontal is a punchy beachbreak beside Pedra do Pontal in Recreio, throwing hollow rights and lefts favored by bodyboarders.

A rare-event novelty peak on Rio's bay-front that breaks a handful of days a year, when a major storm swell pushes past the mouth of Guanabara Bay.

Arpoador offers consistent waves between Copacabana and Ipanema, ideal for beginners and intermediates.

A pocket beach below the Joa cliffs with short, punchy waves that vanish under the tide and favor surfers with some experience.

Postinho is a rock-slab reef just west of Quebra-Mar in Barra da Tijuca that hosted the WCT Rio Pro and barrels on big south swells.

A fickle city beach break: hollow, punchy peaks shift along postos 8 to 10 when winter swell finally builds the banks.

A beefy righthand point over a rock ledge at the west corner of Leblon, sheltered from west winds and holding swells well overhead.

A short, sharp A-frame beachbreak wedged between Arpoador and the Copacabana Fort, packed and heavily local.

Prainha is a renowned and scenic beach break in Rio de Janeiro offering consistent, quality waves suitable for all levels.

A fast, hollow rock peak at the far end of Macumba, prized by bodyboarders for heavy, tubular walls over exposed reef.

Grumari is a scenic and respected beach break near Rio de Janeiro, known as a sanctuary for the area's top local surfers.

A consistent sand-bottom a-frame off Leblon's Posto 11 lifeguard tower, catching nearly every swell that reaches Rio.

A fast, hollow river-mouth left that barrels off a shifting sandbar at the edge of Rio's restricted Marambaia coast.

Copacabana's most exposed beachbreak, a busy sand-bottom a-frame that turns hollow and fast on solid E to S swell.

Rio's big-wave laje: a rare, heavy right breaking over a flat rock slab off Vidigal when winter south swells hit hard.

A heaving, hollow sand-bottom beachbreak in Rio that barrels hard on solid SE swell.

A hike-in left over sand and rock on Rio's wild Guaratiba coast, fast and short with nothing but trail between you and the city.

A quiet sand-beach a-frame on Saquarema's stretch of Praia de Jaconé, throwing hollow SW-swell peaks away from the crowds farther east.

Powerful, consistent A-frame beach break at Saquarema's lagoon mouth, Brazil's benchmark competitive wave.

Sand-bottom peak across Nazaré Hill from Itaúna, throwing hollow lefts and rights that hold size well.

An outer rock slab about a kilometre off Itaúna that throws heavy lefts when big southwest and southeast swells max out the beach, reached by a paddle of ten minutes or more.

A feared slab that breaks directly over an exposed rock ledge on the far side of Itaúna's reef, for experienced surfers only.

A shallow rock-slab left near Jaconé in Saquarema, nicknamed the Brazilian Teahupoo for its dry, barreling wave.

Laje da Rasa is an exposed reef break with powerful, challenging waves near Búzios, Rio de Janeiro.

Geriba is a popular beach break with consistent waves in Búzios, Rio de Janeiro.

Fast, hollow beachbreak peaks along a long straight Marica beach, powerful but quick to close out or turn messy.

An exposed Massambaba restinga beachbreak in Araruama, average peaks, real rip currents, mostly local crowd.