Activites & Sports

• Surfing ( 0 Articles )
  

  Being renowned as one of the best surf spots in the world, Florianopolis attracts surfers from all over the world to ride the Atlantic waves. Just like the island itself, the surf has enough variety to appeal to everyone, from beginners breaks at Barra to tow-in titans at Joaquina.

  World class surf sits amongst outstanding natural scenery both on the beaches and surrounding them for most of the east coast of the island. Not only can you share consistent waves with locals and tourists most days of the year, but also with dolphins and the occasional seal or penguin. Towards the south, you may even spot some of the migrating Southern Right Whales while sitting on your board.

  World class waves also attract world-class surfers and the ASP World Championship Tournament holds their penultimate event in Santa Catarina annually. Previous winners include such surfing luminaries as Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Damien Hobgood and Taj Burrow.

  With surf dudes, surf bums, surf babes, surf competitions, surf schools and even surf buses, welcome to Surfing in Florianópolis – what´s not to like?

  Go Floripa has a few more details to help you decide where to catch your waves.

  Praia da Joaquina – one of the best surf beaches in Florianópolis, Brazil and the whole of South America. Home to national and international competitions at the northern end, the rocks are the start of some powerful waves. Joaquina beach also boasts waves that break both ways further down the beach, where there will also be more space. As well as world-class waves plus bars and restaurants to watch them from, Joaquina has the added advantage of thrills even on the flat days. A short walk up to the shining dunes and you can be sandboarding down them within minutes. Joaquina has hosted many events including WCT Pro Tour and Brazilian Championship events, watched by large crowds from the beach. It is also worth a trip after a cyclone in the Santa Catarina to experience huge tow-in waves close to the beach. Go Floripa has experienced these – from the safety of the bar obviously. Real surfers were out there though.

  Praia do Campeche – the offshore island of the same name provides a nice backdrop to long right barrels held up by the west wind. Quieter waves can be found along the long stretches of empty beach between Campeche and Joaquina. Campeche beach has been nicknamed C-Bay due to its resemblance to J-Bay, Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

  Praia Mole – probably the second most popular surf beach on the Magic Island, but the most popular place to sit and watch the waves and the people. The waves get crowded on summer weekends, and there are regular breaks all along the length of Mole. Competitions are also held here, with tour events and grommet championships. The locals are friendly and are involved in keeping the beach and surrounding vegetation out of the hands of developers for everyone to enjoy. Even in winter, it is a rare day that there is nobody in the waters here, as the few surf schools lining the beach take students out on the calmer days. Generally though, the strong currents, undertow and powerful surf make Praia Mole a place where a little local knowledge is best.

  Praia da Galheta – when the steep slopes of Mole are too much for beginners, they head along the trail to the north and Galheta. A shallower incline and smoother gaps between the waves make it easier for learners and intermediate surfers to negotiate their way out. It also helps that the mountains surrounding this stunning nature reserve make development impossible. The waves are far quieter than Mole or Joaquina, although many experienced surfers do make the trek for some of the longest rides on the island in the right conditions.

  Barra da Lagoa – the best beach on the island for learning to surf. The headland protects the beach from the vagaries of the Atlantic Ocean, and the bay has consistent waves in water shallow enough for most adults to walk back out. The waves are generally small but perfectly formed, breaking both ways to give some fantastic photo opportunities for your budding surfer. If half the fun of learning to surf is to be able to show people at home that you can get up on a board, Barra da Lagoa is perfect, even down to the photographer being able to stand in the water to take the shots!

  Praia do Moçambique – the longest beach on the island has surf along its whole length, with no development anywhere. Long rides in barrels with nobody else for miles make Moçamique worth the extra effort and regularly one of the best places to surf in Brazil.

  Praia dos Ingleses – this popular holiday beach has decent surf along its whole length. The waves are not as big as some of the other beaches but still the waves are still good enough to be busy throughout the year. Holidaymakers make Ingleses popular with those who can’t surf every day.

  Praia do Santinho – perhaps the best surf of the northern beaches, the dunes have protected some of the beach from development, with the resorts at the southern end being popular with families, leaving the waves of the northern end of Santinho fairly quiet.

  Praia Brava – this popular beach has strong currents and regular waves which can get very busy on summer weekends, much as the beach itself.

  The beaches of the northern coasts such as Jurerê, Canasvieiras, Lagoinha and Ponta das Canas are generally quiet for waves although occasionally have enough for those learning to have some fun. The shallow waters also help to make them ideal on those days when the waves do arrive. Walking back out with your board is far easier than trying to paddle through the powerful waves of Joaquina or Mole.

  Morro das Pedras – the south end of the beach, in the shadow of the morro itself as the road meets the rocks, attracts many locals with its regular long right that run from the rocks to the sand.

  Praia do Matadeiro – the beautiful old whale hunting beach has waves as deceptive as its tranquil bearing. A surf school exists here for the calmer days in the shallow waters, but large waves are whipped up by southerly winds and strong currents belie the even breaks and flat sands. A dolphin favourite.

  Praia da Armaçao – one of the quieter beaches of the southern part of the island, with most people preferring the waves on the beaches at either side. Good waves here might need to be shared with the nets of the fishing boats. Armaçao is still one of the traditional fishing beaches of Florianopolis.

  Pantano do Sul – this sheltered beach faces south from the bottom of the island, and is not too popular for surf but has occasional waves for a little gentle fun.

  Lagoinha do Leste – this stunning nature reserve is reachable only by trail from Matadeiro or Pantano do Sul, or by boat from these places and Armaçao. Many hardcore surfers make the journey here, some of them don´t leave. Camping out to catch dawn swells as the sun rises out of the Atlantic and lights up the green mountains all around is a real pleasure here. For such quality surf, the waves are wonderfully empty. The area is still largely untouched so as well as your board, you need to bring any supplies too. Go Floripa recommends making a tent one of those and staying in the dunes for a night or two as Lagoinha do Leste is one of the few places for wild camping on the island.

  Praia dos Naufragados – the most southerly beach of Florianopolis is another that can only be reached by a 4km trail that runs from the end of the west coast road. This does not deter experienced surfers though who make the effort for the long runs from the right end of the beach. The waves can be as wild as the scenery around Naufragados, with rough seas bouncing between the island and the mainland just a few hundred metres across the water from the southern tip of Floripa.

• Kitesurfing & Windsurfing ( 0 Articles )
  

  Windsurfing has been popular around Floripa for years, while kitesurfing is growing fast and is overtaking its elder brother in terms of participants. Whichever of these two dynamic sports you choose to do, Floripa is the perfect place for both novices and experienced boarders.

  For first time kite-surfers, Lagoa da Conceição has schools around the edge that run courses of a few hours to a few days. The open spaces of the lagoon are no barrier to winds in any direction, and sand banks just below the surface ensure that boats pass through the deeper channels only, leaving plenty of room for board, strings and kites.

  The water stays shallow for quite some distance into the middle of the lagoon which removes any initial fear factor from being out of your depth. Waist deep water is ideal for practicing with the kite alone at first, until you have enough confidence to strap on the board and take off. From that moment on, the only thing that you have to worry about with this addictive sport is the effect on your relationship. Kitesurfing is gaining a reputation as being responsible for more relationship break-ups than map-reading. It isn’t the fastest growing watersport in the world for nothing.

  Experienced kitesurfers and windsurfers can either bring their own equipment or hire it at the local schools. As well as the lagoa, the whole eastern side of the island has ideal conditions for kitesurfing, with southerly winds taking boarders from Morro das Pedras all along Campeche and up to Praia da Joaquina, a good 10km ride.

  A run around the headlands to Praia Mole from Joaquina is also possible, and from there passing Praia da Galheta to Barra da Lagoa, but only for those who really know how to work a kite. Occasionally from the eastern beaches of Florianopolis and others on the mainland such as Praia Ibiraquera you can spot somebody clinging on to a colourful kite halfway to Namibia. Ilha do Campeche is also used as a large marker point to round during Kitesurfing Championship events.

  Perhaps the most surprising place to see kitesurfing is the dunes at the back of Praia da Joaquina. After the kind of sub-tropical rain that Floripa occasionally has (but nobody tells the tourists), the hollows between the dunes fill with water and can be surfed and with a little luck, perhaps a jump from one to another over the dunes is possible.

  Good luck trying.

• Sailing ( 0 Articles )
  

  Sailing is quite popular in Floripa, with most of the action centred around Lagoa da Conceição. With marinas on the northern edge of the Barra da Lagoa channel and also close to the bridge in Centrinho, plus the Yacht Club (LIC – Lagoa Iate Club) on the road around the smaller part of the lagoon to Canto da Lagoa, there are plenty of sailing boats making their way across the waters. Lessons can be found at the club and in various other watersports schools along the shores.

  Regatas regularly take place on weekends throughout the year, with sailing boats filling the lagoa from north to south in their photogenic way. Many also travel down the channel to Barra and out into the wide Atlantic.

  On the open ocean, the Santa Catarina Yacht Club has boats docking and embarking for ports all along the coast of Brazil. Courses in ocean sailing can be organized, with short courses starting around the sheltered bays and longer courses to places such as Sao Francisco do Sul and Santos near Sao Paulo. Sailing to Rio de Janeiro is also possible, either one way or return, with the southern waters of Brazil having the best sailing conditions of the 7000km coastline.

• Sandboarding ( 0 Articles )
  

  The dunes that run between Praia Joaquina and the Lagoa da Conceição are amongst the largest in Brazil although not as extensive as those at Praia do Siriú close to Garopaba. There are also smaller dunes on the island at the north end of Praia Mocambique running through to Praia dos Ingleses.

  Sandboards can be hired cheaply from in front of the Dunas club on the Joaquina road. On summer days, the dunes will be full of people of all ages sandboarding and tobogganing down dunes short and shallow or steep and scary. Lines in the sand show you the best paths to take and the ones to avoid. The steeper slopes may have ramps built into the middle of them for jumps so it is worth watching somebody else go down first.

  But then, it is always worth watching somebody else go down the dunes first because it is such good comedy. The dunes reverberate with peals of laughter every few minutes as children and adults come out of their straps and cartwheel down the sand to resemble picanha dipped in farofa. If you haven´t done it before, you will be surprised how little these spectacular falls hurt. Usually. You may also be surprised how hard work it is to scale the smallest of dunes after you have slid or rolled your way to the bottom. Taking a breather at the top of the Joaquina Dunes is worth every second though. The views down Joaquina Beach to Campeche Island and the south of Floripa, or across the shimmering waters of the lagoa will keep you admiring them until you strap your feet in once more.

• Kayaking ( 0 Articles )
  

  Kayaking is a wonderful way to spend an hour or two paddling around Lagoa da Conceição under a warm sun amongst fantastic natural scenery. Kayaks can be hired at various points along Avenida das Rendeiras, the road that runs between Centro da Lagoa and the beaches. The quality varies from one piece fibreglass kayaks for one or two people that can be found on the banks of the lagoon, to more professional equipment in the specialized shops. Whichever one you prefer, take some good sunscreen as an hour with a hot sun reflecting off the waters is enough to burn most skin types.

  Exploring the rocky eastern side of the lagoa, away from the channel that the boats use to travel between Centrinho and Barra or Costa da Lagoa is a relaxing way to shape your body. A good paddle takes you past Barra to the coast of the pine forest at Parque Flor do Rio Vermelho. You may well have most of this part of the lagoon to yourself, and the shallow bottom can make for some great photos. Just remember how far back it is to drop off the kayaks though, and be careful of speedboats travelling under the road bridge that leads to the Barra channel and the Atlantic.

  The calmer waters of the northern beaches, Canasvieiras and Jurere also have plenty of kayaks for hire, with paddling out to Ilha do Frances a possibility on a calm day. It is also possible to spot kayaks amongst the surfers of Praia Mole and Joaquina as well, with paddling into ocean waves in a kayak making something of a comeback along with surfing with a paddle. The currents and strong surf make it best to gain some local knowledge before even experienced kayakers head out into the sea.

  Kayaking is not as popular as Go Floripa believes it should be. When you rest your paddle across the kayak and bob in the middle of a beautiful lake, with green mountains, blue sky above and nobody else but birds flying and fish jumping… you’ll probably feel it was worth the effort.

• Frescoball ( 0 Articles )
  

  Frescoball is the sound of the Brazilian beach. For the uninitiated, you may prefer to use the term ‘bat n ball’. The rhythmical noise of the rubber ball bouncing between two or three wooden bats can have a mesmerising effect on those watching. Generally played at the edge of the sea when the beaches are full of people, what seems like a strange activity with no points, no score and no winners and losers, frescoball can be engrossing for an hour or two once you find your range. Before then, the sport is called Buscobal, as most of the time novices are wandering up and down the beach and into the waves iafter a loose shot.

  The bats-n-ball-in-a-bag sets can be found in any sports or souvenir shop around the island quite cheaply, R$15 and upwards. Then all it takes is a little bit of patience until you can play for some minutes without losing your dignity. It takes years of practice to get to the levels of some frescoball players that you find on Brazilian beaches though. Don’t forget that some of these people were born and brought up on the beach, so don’t get disillusioned.

• Running ( 0 Articles )
  

  Floripa has a few good places to run on the island. While staying around the city, the Beira Mar Norte has around 7km of path closed off for runners and cyclists to patter and pedal alongside the sea. There are plenty of walkers out there too, seemingly from dawn until well after dusk.

  The road out of Centro da Lagoa takes you along the shores of the lagoon for around 3km, although the surface is certainly not as smooth, and you may be wary of running on some of the sagging parts of the boardwalk or the eroding concrete embankments. The danger of this happening is increased by the fantastic views across the blue water to the green mountains. On windy days, you may find yourself being sandblasted from the dunes halfway down the road. Sunglasses are worth wearing in that case.

  Running along the side of roads can be a little hazardous as pavements and kerbs are generally non-existent. Those white lines marking the edge of the drivers section of the road are no barrier to cars or buses, and offer no protection on an inside bend.

  The soft sand of most beaches on the island isn’t conducive to easy running, although you do see many people leaving deep footprints as they shuffle their way up and down Praia Mole. Hard work, but check out those calf muscles afterwards. Other beaches may not have enough room to make it worthwhile. Praia Galheta is probably the best for running barefoot along the edge of the sea, with flat hard sand for its 1km length.

• Football ( 0 Articles )
  

  There are two major football teams in Florianopolis, both of which play in the Santa Catarina state championship and also in the Brasilerão, the Brazilian national championship. If you are spending some time in Floripa and want to see some Brazilian football, it is worth checking out if one of the teams are playing.

  Avaí are the team from the island and play their home matches in the Estadio Adolfo Konder, close to Hercilio Luz Airport south of the city centre. At the end of the 2008 season, Avaí won promotion to Série A along with Corinthians, for the first time in the club´s history. They will play against the likes of Flamengo, Sao Paulo and Vasco da Gama.

  They swapped places with their local rivals, Figueirense, at the end of the season. The team named after the huge fig tree in Praça 15 Novembro are based on the continental part of Florianopolis and will host Série B matches in their Estádio Orlando Scarpelli. This stadium, just north of the bridges on the continent, is one of the stadia hoping to be redeveloped to sufficient size and standard in order to host matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

  With Avaí being promoted, this has brought to an end a period of supremacy for Figueirense, who won the Santa Catarina State Championship in 2008, with Criciuma coming second ahead of Avaí. As well as 5 state championships this decade, the Figueira also came to national attention when reaching the 2007 Copa do Brasil Final, where they lost 1-0 to Fluminense of Rio.

  Despite being in different divisions for most of the year, the Classico Catarinense still takes place in the state championship at the start of the year. It may be a smaller clash than the classicos of Rio, Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre or Belo Horizonte but the derby match incites passions in both sets of followers and the clashes can be quite spicy. If you want to watch a match in either stadium, it is worth checking the fixtures first for both teams in advance. If you do find yourself at the classico by chance, Avaí play in blue and white stripes, while Figueirense are in black and white. Make sure to torcer for the team amongst whose torcedores you are sitting.

  Apart from this match, entrance should be easy for most games on Sunday afternoons or midweek. Against the big teams such as Gremio and Internacional of Porto Alegre; Sao Paulo, Palmeiras and Corinthians of Sao Paulo; and Vasco da Gama, Botafogo and Fluminense of Rio de Janeiro, enough supporters of those teams may be in Florianopolis to swell the crowd. Flamengo, similar to Manchester United in England and Juventus in Italy, have supporters from all over Brazil as well as from Rio. Their matches all over the country have a habit of selling out in advance, so get your tickets early if you want to see Mengo play in Floripa.

  Professional football in Brazil is a more passionate, lively affair than in Europe, and Florianopolis is a good place to experience the atmosphere for yourself. It is relatively cheap as well if you don´t mind standing on the concrete terraces rather than sitting in the posh seats. You may need to take a little care in and around the stadiums but it should not detract from the enjoyment of being part of a jumping crowd watching good quality football amongst the flares and the smoke.

• Tennis ( 0 Articles )
  

  Tennis is not the most popular sport in Brazil, but it retains popularity in Florianopolis, mainly down to the success of the island’s favourite son. Gustavo Kuerten was World Number 1 at the end of the 2000 season after winning the second of his three French Open titles that year. He also won another 17 career titles including 5 ATP Masters Series titles to become the most successful tennis player that Brazil has ever produced. Guga popularised tennis on the island and Brazil’s Davis Cup matches were held in the city on a regular basis during his 12 year professional career.

  The chance to represent his country was always relished by Guga, who regularly wore the colours of the national football team, yellow shirt and blue shorts. His last professional match at the French Open in 2008 was lost wearing his favourite outfit. Following his retirement, it remains to be seen if professional tennis will still be as popular in Floripa, or whether Brazil will still be able to make a mark on the world stage. Whatever happens, the easy going and humble Kuerten will remain a popular figure around the island and around the tennis world.

• Motor sport ( 0 Articles )