Illustration — no photo of this spot yet
Praia do Santinho
The north island's most dependable stretch of surf — about two kilometres of sand backed by dunes and headlands carrying prehistoric rock inscriptions. Santinho takes both the east swells that leave the south of the island flat and the winter south groundswells, which is what makes it the island's most rideable-year-round option and a natural fallback when Joaquina and Mole are out of sorts. It is wider and consistently less crowded than the east-coast breaks, with peaks spread along the beach rather than one contested bank.
Next 7 days
The best-rated window in the cached forecast.
This is the week's best-rated wave quality, not a suitability call. Take the 2-minute quiz to see how Praia do Santinho fits your level.
Surf outlook
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.Sunrise around 05:27, sunset around 18:27 today.
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 on this card are local to Praia do Santinho. 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 .
Live conditions
Period (what does this mean?)
Time between waves. Longer period = more powerful, better-organised waves.Swell (what does this mean?)
Waves made by distant storms, smoother and more ordered than the choppy waves a local wind whips up.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.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.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 13 km from the break. Fetched . Times on this card are local to Praia do Santinho. 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.
When to surf Praia do Santinho, month by month
Estimated from our authored seasonality — not a live forecast.
Peak season: Jun, July, Aug (All-time).
| Month | Surf consistency |
|---|---|
| Jan | Moderate |
| Feb | Moderate |
| Mar | High |
| Apr | High |
| May | High |
| Junpeak | All-time |
| Julypeak | All-time |
| Augpeak | All-time |
| Sept | High |
| Oct | High |
| Nov | Moderate |
| Dec | Moderate |
Does this wave fit your level?
Rated for Levels 3-7 · Best at Level 5.
Take the 2-minute quiz to see if Praia do Santinho fits you today.
Find my Level →Beginner notes
Improver territory rather than a first lesson. The peaks are forgiving in small, clean conditions and there is space to find your own, but the beach is exposed, gets bigger than it looks from the car park, and has real rip currents. Beginners in the north of the island do better on the sheltered inside at Ingleses; anyone learning from zero should be at Barra da Lagoa with a school.
Hazards
- rip currents
- rocks at both headlands
- exposed and often bigger than it looks
- limited lifeguard cover outside summer
Nearby spots
The closest graded spots to Praia do Santinho, straight-line distance.
- Praia dos Ingleses~4 km · Levels 3-6
- Praia Brava (Florianópolis)~8 km · Levels 3-7
- Praia do Moçambique~8 km · Levels 3-7
- Praia da Barra da Lagoa~14 km · Levels 1-5
- Praia da Galheta~16 km · Levels 3-6
Best months to surf here
In-season months for Brazil, from our editors’ season calendar.
How this spot is sourced
Cross-checked against 4 sources from 2 independent lineages, last checked August 2026.
Two or more independent sources agree on exact position.