The only inhabitants of the Northern beaches are millions of coconut palms and rare animals.

Pontal offers excellent surfing conditions in Brazilian winter (May to September), when swell and wind turn South, both for beginners and advanced surfers alike with large, slow-breaking waves on the outside sand banks and fast, hollow waves at the inside peaks.

Anyway, this is an advance surfing peak because:

1. there are no easy channels to get out;
2. there is almost always a violent cross current eventually turning into dangerous rip currents once in a while;
3. there are heavy shore breaks all over, getting in and out can get tricky/dangerous;

Just connected to Pontal on the South is the river-break "Boca da Barra".

Easily spotable from the town center and a 5-10 minutes paddle from our lodging, Boca da Barra provides, on days with big waves, one of the longest waves in Brazil, with a right hander peeling down to Pontal beach for about 1 to 2 km.

We surfed it up to 12 feet (we've seen it even bigger). However, besides the wave consistence in this area swells over 9 feet are rare in Itacaré.

This is a very serious peak! You will be surfing far out in the ocean, with hard orientation and mostly violent cross currents, pulling you away from the peak, while rip currents can turn it a nightmare to get back to the shore.

Check your equipment before you go (loosing your board may be fatal) and DON'T EVER GO ALONE!!!

Going South from the river mouth of Rio de Contas, you pass a calm beach called "Praia da Concha" with lots of Pousadas and beach huts and a lighthouse.

Just beyond the lighthouse jetty that protects "Praia da Concha" is "Corais" ("corals") where long and perfect left and right tubes go off in low tide with solid east swell.

This peak only starts working with overhear surf and it's always a serious surfing peak, due to the sharp underlaying rocks and to the inexistance of channels or reef-passes to allow easy paddling out/in.

To start with, try out the Southern-most lefthander called "buraco do barbudo" and only surf the left!!!

Going South from Corais, you'll reach Praia da Tiririca, which has become the most frequented surfing beach in the area due to its central localization and very consistent surf all year round.

Consequently this beach is the center of the local surf riding scene in Itacaré.

The waves at Tiririca are fast, hollow, and short, cross currents dragging into the rocks are comom.

When the surf at Tiririca gets overhead, no one except very experienced should ever considerate paddling out here.

No EasyDrop surf lessons are held on Praia da Tiririca, for the waves are too difficult while the crowds are permanent and intense...

Prainha is a 45 minutes walk from the town.

The beach was once rated one of the top 10 beaches in Brazil as for its natural beauty. After construction of residences and hotels it's still beautiful, but it' desert charm has gone forever.

On solid Northeastern Swells (in our summer), a perfect tubular left point breaks in its left corner.

In deep winter , with huge South swells and pure South wind, a knarly but awesome right hander goes off in the right corner with an easy take off frame peeling into a heavy tube. One of the most spectacular waves on the region, when it is on.

Overall, the 2 classic waves of Prainha break only occasional. On all other days there are generally some short heavy rights and lefts breaking all over the extension of Prainha, with tehdency to close out.

Prainha is also a quite wind sensitive peak.

Going South from Prainha, the next surfable beach is Jeribuaçu. To get there, you need a car, because walking from town would take about 3 hours. Even with a car, there is still some 20-30 minutes hiking required. Jeribucaçu has several accesses and you bet you won't find any of them ir you go alone, so get a guide or go with EasyDrop!

There are two waves at Jeribucaçu, a short and heavy right hander from the right corner into the middle ofthe beach. and a longer but still heavy left hander from the left middle into the right corner of the beach. It's all sand underground, but underlaying rocks are nicely defined, so the wave pattern remain the same throughout all  th year.

The two main waves of Jeribucaçu need at least 3-4 feet swell to start working. Mains season is Winter, wehn the wind turns South (which is off-shore there)

There is an easy channel on the right, close to the rocks.

This peak is pretty consistent and provides a great alternative to crowded Tiririca for short boarders.

Just South of Jeribucaçu is Engenhoca, however, access is completely different. You need to drive further on the main road to Ilhéus and hike about 30 minute through the forest to get there (first-timers: get a guide).

Engenhoca is the main long board peak in Itacaré, for it was more mellow and longer peeling waves than any other peak in the region except Boa da Barra.

It's a closed bay nicely protected from the Northeastern wind that charaterize our summer, which is definitely the best surfing season for Engenhoca. As soon as the Swell turns East/Southeast, Engenhoca becomes choppy.

There is a nice channel on the left side that works perfectly up to double overhead surf!

Itacarezinho is an open beach break following Engenhoca in the South with about 6 km of extension.

The Northern end has a restaurant you can drive to (paying expensive access tribute though...).

The best peaks are located more South and are difficult now to get to, because there is lots of real estate development going on with luxury condos and resorts simply closing traditional access roads to the public.

So you have to walk from The Northern end to get there, including to the legendary left hander reef break "Pedra Preta" which is just perfect in typical summer surf conditions.

Anyway, when the surf is up and the wind down, you find good surf all over this beach.