Surf spot guide · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A heavy right-hand corner where waves wrap and wedge along the rocks of Pedra do Pontal in Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
Canto do Recreio is the wave known locally as lambe-lambe: a right that peels off the base of Pedra do Pontal, the granite headland anchoring the west end of Recreio dos Bandeirantes, and wedges along the rock face toward the sand. East and southeast swell push the wall tight against the point, and a southwest wind, onshore for most of Rio's south facing beaches, blows offshore here, one of the only corners in the city that works cleanly in that wind. The result is a hollow, fast wall with tube sections and enough length for full rotations and airs, closer to a point wave than a beach peak. It has hosted state junior and adaptive surf circuits and draws a dedicated local following with its own surf association. Expect a packed lineup on classic swell days, locals holding priority at the takeoff by the rocks, and real risk of contact with exposed granite on the inside. Big south swells push surfers around the corner to the calmer sand at Farofa instead.
Rights that climb the granite face of Pedra do Pontal and wedge into a hollow, fast wall locals call lambe-lambe.
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Rio de Janeiro
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.
Rio de Janeiro
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.
Rio de Janeiro
A sand-bottom beach break at Recreio's Posto 11 tower, mellow on small days, powerful when cold-front south swell meets southwest wind.
+9 MORE →Heavy crowds gather on classic east and southeast swell days, with locals and visitors filling the lineup shoulder to shoulder; weekday mornings are calmer, and the biggest south swells thin the corner out as surfers shift toward Farofa.
Heavy, technical, local
A southwest wind is offshore here even though it is onshore on Rio's south-facing beaches, so check the wind direction before ruling out a session.
Low tide is the preferred stage for the wave along the rocks.
Watch a set from the rocks before paddling out to spot the takeoff zone against Pedra do Pontal.
Big south swells push the crowd around the corner to Farofa, so the biggest days here can actually thin out.
Weekends bring a heavy crowd of locals and visitors, so early mornings are calmer.
HAZARDS · KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
Heavy crowds gather on classic east and southeast swell days, with locals and visitors filling the lineup shoulder to shoulder; weekday mornings are calmer, and the biggest south swells thin the corner out as surfers shift toward Farofa.
Heavy, technical, local
Enter from the sand at Praia do Pontal (Posto 12) in Recreio dos Bandeirantes; paddle out from the beach or hop off the rocks near Pedra do Pontal.
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