Saquarema

Itauna beach at Saquarema takes Atlantic swell straight onto a steep sandbank and produces a fast, hollow and heavy wave that has made it the standard Brazilian competition venue - it has hosted world tour events, and the town calls itself the capital of surfing without much argument from anywhere else in the country. The wave breaks in front of the Nossa Senhora de Nazareth church, a white chapel of 1675 standing on a rock outcrop at the end of the beach, which is the image every photograph of the place uses. Behind the town are lagoons used for stand-up paddling and windsurfing. Outside contest weeks it is a quiet coastal town, and the water here is cold and the current strong.

What to look for

• A heavy beach break - fast hollow waves on a steep bank at Itauna.
• The 1675 church on the rock - the chapel above the point.
• World tour competition ground - the standard Brazilian contest venue.
• Lagoons behind the town - flat water for paddling and windsurfing.

When to go

April to September for swell. Two days.

Practical notes

This is not a beginner wave - it breaks hard and close to shore with strong rips, and the beach is not a comfortable swim. Contest weeks fill the town completely. Out of season it is very quiet. The water is cold most of the year.

Nearby

Arraial do Cabo and Cabo Frio are east; Marica is west toward Rio.