Florianopolis Surf Excursions

Florianopolis is an island in the state of Santa Catarina state in south Brazil. Florianopolis island has 42 different beaches, most are quite beautiful and many of them have great surf. This article gives a brief overview of each surfing beach, showing its name, overall rating for surf, the direction of the surf break, and the type of surf break, such as beach break, point break, river mouth, etc.

PRAIA MOLE SURF BEACH

Anyone who has visited Florianopolis knows that Praia Mole beach is the best year-round location on the island. Literally translated, “Praia Mole” means “soft beach” and is named so due to its extremely soft and deep sand. Praia Mole beach is centrally & conveniently located on the east coast of the island and is popular for its abundant beautiful people and great surfing. It is also popular because of its convenient location, being very near to the town of Lagoa da Conceicao, where you’ll find a majority of the island’s bars, restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, ATMs, a gas station, and one of the best nightclubs on the island.

The surf on Praia Mole is known as being stronger than most other beaches, which suits the surfers just fine but can be dangerous for inexperienced swimmers during days with large surf. Surf can range anywhere from 0 feet to 20 foot faces during the winter months. For weak swimmers and children, the north end of the beach offers a protected cove where the water is always calm and swimming is safe even on some of the largest days of surf. On the beach at Praia Mole, you’ll find a volley ball net, a juice bar, a VIP lounge area, and 6 different restaurants that double as beach bars. During the summer months (Dec – Feb) these bars will either have a live DJ spinning or at least have loud music because Brazilians love to dance whenever the opportunity presents itself. There always seems to be some action going on at Praia Mole beach.

JOAQUINA SURF BEACH Joaquina beach (just south of Praia Mole) is one of the best surf beaches in all of Florianopolis and is usually the site of the annual WCT surfing championship. The area surrounding Juaquina beach is environmentally protected sand dunes so there is no housing near the beach but it isn’t far from Praia Mole so this isn’t an issue. This beach is not one of the beautiful beaches since it is surrounded by nothing but sand dunes and a large parking lot filled with tour buses who drop off Brazilian tourists by the hundreds. However, the surf is great, especially during large swells. This is one of the few beaches that can hold its shape during a very big swell. When the surf is big, it peels left off the northern point.

GALHETA SURF BEACH

Galheta beach, just north of Praia Mole, is also a great surf spot and much less crowded than other surf breaks since there are no access roads to it but it’s just a 10-minute walk on the beach from Praia Mole.

PRAIA BRAVA BEACH

Praia Brava is located on the north end of Florianopolis island and the surf is comparable to Praia Mole. Translated, Praia Brava means “furious beach” most likely due to the frequently big and rough surf. This beach is a solid 1-hour drive from Praia Mole, the town of Centro, and the town of Lagoa, which means it’s on the outskirts of the island and not convenientle located for vacationers who like to enjoy the Florianopolis nightlife. However, if you’re a surfer looking to hit some different surf spots, this spot will suit you well during a nice swell. This beach is not surrounded by jungle and wildlife preserve like most other Florianopolis beaches. Instead, it is packed with tons of hotels and condo complexes. Unfortunately, this area becomes deserted outside December, January, and February (peak summer months) because it is simply too far away from most of the islands nightlife, shopping malls, and restaurants.

FLORIANOPOLIS SURF RATINGS

Following are most of the surf beaches on the island of Florianopolis, Brazil. This should help you when planning your Florianopolis surf vacation.

Beach, Star Rating, Direction of Break, Type of Break

Armacao, 2, right & left, Beach Break Barra Da Lagoa, 2, right & left, Beach Break Boca da Barra, 3, right & left, rivermouth Caldeirao, 3, left, beach break Campeche Rights, 4, Right, beach break Canasvieiras, 3, right, sand bar Galheta, 3, right & left, sand bar Ingleses, 2, right & left, beach break Joaquina, 4, right & left, sand bar Lagoinha do Leste, 4, right & left, beach break Lambe Lambe, 4, right, point break Matadeiro, 3, right & left, beach break Mocambique, 3, right & left, beach break Morro das Pedras, 2, right & left, sand bar Naufragados, 5, right, beach break Ponta Do Rapa, 4, right, beach break Praia Brava, 3, right & left, beach break Praia do Forte, 3, right, point break Praia Mole, 3, right & left, beach break Riozinho, 5, right & left, beach break Santinho, 3, right & left, beach break