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  1. Map
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  5. Praia da Barra da Lagoa
Beach break · A-frame
Praia da Barra da Lagoa

Photo: Larissa Fraga · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Praia da Barra da Lagoa

Florianópolis, Brazil-27.571° -48.427°
Levels 1-5Typical size: 1–5 ft

Florianópolis's teaching beach, and the reason most people who learn to surf on the island learn here. The shoreline shelves gently and sits partly in the lee of the headland, so incoming swell arrives slowed and reformed rather than dumping — slow, rolling, repeatable waves at a size that stays manageable. Almost every school on the island runs lessons on this sand, and the village behind it is where the island's surf hostels cluster. The trade is that it rarely excites anyone past improver level: when the island gets a proper winter groundswell, Barra is where you go if everywhere else is too big.

Surfed here? Log a surf in your private logbook

Advanced details

The granular read for surfers who want it.

Wave type
Beach break
Bottom
sand
Direction
A-frame
Best swell
E,SE
Best wind
S,SW,W
Best tide
all
Paddle
1/5
Localism
1/5
Water quality
3/5

Next 7 days

The best-rated window in the cached forecast.

Best day this week · Tuesday (27 Oct)
3/5Worth a paddle
1.1–1.3m8s period swell from SSE8km/h windfrom ESE

This is the week's best-rated wave quality, not a suitability call. Take the 2-minute quiz to see how Praia da Barra da Lagoa fits your level.

Surf outlook

Today’s call (
our estimate? (what does this mean?)A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.
)
1/5Flat or junky

Sunrise around 05:27, sunset around 18:27 today.

Mon’s call (
our estimate? (what does this mean?)A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.
)
2/5Barely worth it

Sunrise around 05:27, sunset around 18:28 on Mon.

Tue’s call (
our estimate? (what does this mean?)A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.
)
3/5Worth a paddle

Sunrise around 05:26, sunset around 18:28 on Tue.

Wed’s call (
our estimate? (what does this mean?)A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.
)
2/5Barely worth it

Sunrise around 05:25, sunset around 18:29 on Wed.

Thu’s call (
our estimate? (what does this mean?)A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.
)
2/5Barely worth it

Sunrise around 05:24, sunset around 18:30 on Thu.

Fri’s call (
our estimate? (what does this mean?)A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.
)
3/5Worth a paddle

Sunrise around 05:23, sunset around 18:30 on Fri.

Sat’s call (
our estimate? (what does this mean?)A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.
)
2/5Barely worth it

Sunrise around 05:22, sunset around 18:31 on Sat.

Tide todayHigh around 00:00 (+0.5m)Low around 07:00 (-0.2m)High around 13:00 (+0.6m)Low around 19:00 (-0.0m)
nowHigh 00:00+0.5mLow 07:00-0.2mHigh 13:00+0.6mLow 19:00-0.0m
Model estimate (MeteoFrance SMOC), heights relative to
mean sea level? (what does this mean?)The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.
, times approximate — not a tide table and not for navigation.
Tide MonHigh around 01:00 (+0.7m)Low around 08:00 (-0.2m)High around 13:00 (+0.4m)Low around 20:00 (-0.2m)
High 01:00+0.7mLow 08:00-0.2mHigh 13:00+0.4mLow 20:00-0.2m
Model estimate (MeteoFrance SMOC), heights relative to
mean sea level? (what does this mean?)The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.
, times approximate — not a tide table and not for navigation.
Tide TueHigh around 02:00 (+0.5m)Low around 09:00 (-0.2m)High around 14:00 (+0.3m)Low around 20:00 (-0.3m)
High 02:00+0.5mLow 09:00-0.2mHigh 14:00+0.3mLow 20:00-0.3m
Model estimate (MeteoFrance SMOC), heights relative to
mean sea level? (what does this mean?)The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.
, times approximate — not a tide table and not for navigation.
Tide WedHigh around 02:00 (+0.3m)Low around 09:00 (-0.2m)High around 14:00 (+0.1m)Low around 21:00 (-0.4m)
High 02:00+0.3mLow 09:00-0.2mHigh 14:00+0.1mLow 21:00-0.4m
Model estimate (MeteoFrance SMOC), heights relative to
mean sea level? (what does this mean?)The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.
, times approximate — not a tide table and not for navigation.
Tide ThuHigh around 03:00 (+0.2m)Low around 10:00 (-0.1m)High around 15:00 (+0.1m)Low around 21:00 (-0.3m)
High 03:00+0.2mLow 10:00-0.1mHigh 15:00+0.1mLow 21:00-0.3m
Model estimate (MeteoFrance SMOC), heights relative to
mean sea level? (what does this mean?)The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.
, times approximate — not a tide table and not for navigation.
Tide FriHigh around 04:00 (+0.2m)Low around 13:00 (+0.1m)High around 15:00 (+0.1m)Low around 21:00 (-0.2m)
High 04:00+0.2mLow 13:00+0.1mHigh 15:00+0.1mLow 21:00-0.2m
Model estimate (MeteoFrance SMOC), heights relative to
mean sea level? (what does this mean?)The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.
, times approximate — not a tide table and not for navigation.
Tide SatHigh around 10:00 (+0.3m)
High 10:00+0.3m
Model estimate (MeteoFrance SMOC), heights relative to
mean sea level? (what does this mean?)The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.
, times approximate — not a tide table and not for navigation.

Times on this card are local to Praia da Barra da Lagoa. The star call is our own estimate, calculated from the forecast height, period and wind speed — not measured, and not a suitability or safety assessment. How we rate explains the scale. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, licensed CC BY 4.0. Fetched 25 Oct 2026, 15:00.

Live conditions

16:00 (local)
Wave
1.4m
from S
Period? (what does this mean?)Time between waves. Longer period = more powerful, better-organised waves.
5.8s
Swell? (what does this mean?)Waves made by distant storms, smoother and more ordered than the choppy waves a local wind whips up.
1.1m
7s from S
Wind? (what does this mean?)Offshore wind (land to sea) holds waves up and smooths their faces; onshore wind (sea to land) makes them crumble and close out sooner.
26km/h
from S
Estimated wave energy? (what does this mean?)How much power each metre of wave front carries (kW/m), worked out from height and period — higher numbers mean waves that push harder.
~6 kW/m(Small)

Calculated by us from the height and period above, not measured — and it describes the swell offshore, not the wave at the break.

Waves from DWD Global WAM, wind from ECMWF IFS, for a model grid point 11 km from the break. Fetched 25 Oct 2026, 15:00. Times on this card are local to Praia da Barra da Lagoa. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, licensed CC BY 4.0. Not a suitability or safety assessment — check local conditions and ask your instructor.

Surf Snapshot

Estimated seasonal guidance — not a live forecast.

Oct
Consistency this monthEstimated
Moderate
Beginner safety
Safe
Crowd
Crowded
Water quality
Good
Typical size: Knee-to-overhead (1-5 ft)
Recommended boardsFoamieLongboardMidFish
Year-round consistency
Oct: Moderate consistencyTap a month

When to surf Praia da Barra da Lagoa, month by month

Estimated from our authored seasonality — not a live forecast.

Peak season: May, Jun, July, Aug (High).

Month-by-month surf consistency for Praia da Barra da Lagoa
MonthSurf consistency
JanModerate
FebModerate
MarModerate
AprModerate
MaypeakHigh
JunpeakHigh
JulypeakHigh
AugpeakHigh
SeptModerate
OctModerate
NovModerate
DecModerate

Does this wave fit your level?

Rated for Levels 1-5 · Best at Level 3.

Take the 2-minute quiz to see if Praia da Barra da Lagoa fits you today.

Find my Level →

Beginner notes

The right answer for a first surf in Florianópolis, and this is not a close call — it is gentle, shallow-shelving, patrolled in season and thick with instructors. Two honest cautions: there is a persistent rip beside the canal channel, so stay on the beach side of it, and the lineup is genuinely crowded with other learners, so look before you take off.

Hazards

  • rip currents near the channel
  • busy lineup of surf schools and learners
  • boat traffic at the canal mouth

Nearby spots

The closest graded spots to Praia da Barra da Lagoa, straight-line distance.

  • Praia da Galheta~2 km · Levels 3-6
  • Praia Mole~3 km · Levels 3-7
  • Praia do Moçambique~5 km · Levels 3-7
  • Praia da Joaquina~7 km · Levels 2-6
  • Praia do Santinho~14 km · Levels 3-7

Best months to surf here

In-season months for Brazil, from our editors’ season calendar.

  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep

How this spot is sourced

Cross-checked against 3 sources, last checked August 2026.

  • Florianópolis Guide — Where to Surf in Florianópolis
  • OpenStreetMap
  • Surf-Forecast.com

On the map