Praia Brava Pontal do Atalaia.

Praia Brava breaks over a mix of boulders and sand on the far side of Itajuru Canal, throwing up bowly, wrapping lefts that hold barrel sections through fast, vertical takeoffs. Upwelling keeps the water noticeably cold even in summer. Size runs from about 0.6 to 3 meters, and the wave needs a clean E to S swell groomed by NE wind to line up, producing some of the longest, most complete lefts on this stretch of coast when it does. It works best from low to rising tide, before the narrow beach disappears at high water. Free parking sits roadside, but reaching the wave means hiking the far bank of the canal to a wild, undeveloped beach that nudists frequent. The walk-in keeps numbers down most days, though the lineup fills in and a resident crew holds it down once conditions line up. Pollution from nearby commercial and residential runoff, plus stormwater, is worse after rain, and jellyfish and submerged boulders add to the risk beyond the wave itself.