Explore / Brazil · Santa Catarina
Florianópolis.
Now
· updated 14 hours agoSoutheast swell at 9-10 seconds builds from 1-2m Thursday to 1-2m Friday under glassy to light north-northeast wind, then shifts to south swell at 7-10 seconds rising to 1-2m Saturday with moderate southwest wind easing to light. Sunday peaks at 2m south-southeast swell at 8-9 seconds under glassy conditions before wind turns blown-out from the south. Monday sees south swell at 6-10 seconds holding near 2m with heavy wind sea and blown-out south wind easing to light by evening. Tuesday and Wednesday maintain south swell at 10-15 seconds around 1.5m as wind shifts from light south to moderate north-northeast then strong south. Next Thursday brings building south swell at 13-15 seconds from 1.5-2.2m with heavy wind sea under moderate south wind easing to glassy by evening
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About Florianópolis
Florianópolis is the capital of Santa Catarina and Brazil’s southern surf hub, an island city fringed by east-coast beach breaks open to the South Atlantic. Joaquina, the open beach with the dune at its north end, is the spiritual home of Brazilian surfing. Praia Mole, a few kilometres north, is the hollow crescent tucked between two headlands. Barra da Lagoa, just past Mole, is the school-zone strip.
The working window is April through September, when cold fronts off the roaring forties push south to south-east swell onto the east coast. The east beaches need 0.8 to 3 m at 9 s or longer. Northwest is offshore; north is clean. South wind shuts the coast down. The classic day is a south-east swell with north or north-west wind behind a passing front. July is the statistical peak.
Water runs 17 to 20 °C in August, 24 to 28 °C by March. A 3/2 covers winter, boardies and a rashie the rest. Joaquina and Praia Mole both want intermediate ability on size; hollow takeoffs and rip currents that build through a long-period swell. Crowds thin on weekdays, packed on weekends. Canto do Gravatá, the south corner of Mole, wakes up on heavy southerlies and runs as a local peak. On a soft or onshore day, the south-end beaches (Matadeiro, Pântano do Sul) wrap cleaner.