Praia da Joaquina is the northern end of the beach that stretches all the way down past Campeche, making it one of the longest beaches of Florianópolis. A beautiful curve of sand with sets of white waves, bookended by hills and with shallow dunes at the back makes it one of the most picturesque beaches on the island.
The dunes are a protected area and construction is prohibited for a long stretch of Joaquina and Campeche meaning that the only buildings are in the shadow of the hills at the northern end. Also at this end are the largest sand dunes on the island.
Praia da Joaquina is perhaps the best beach on the island for activities, and it is possible to go from sand-boarding in the dunes to kite-surfing in the freshwater pools of the shallow dunes to surfing in the waves within minutes of each other.
As with Praia Mole, the strong surf, currents and undertow make swimming a little difficult so families are few and far between. Joaca is populated by the young, the fit and the beautiful. There are hotels, shops, restaurants, bars and clubs at the northern end.
The restaurants serve seafood buffets, have music coming from them, and also host the regular surf competitions - Praia Joaquina is one of the stops on the Brazilian Surf Championship circuit.
The hotels are in the shadow of the hill but still manage to be quite ugly generally, and don't blend in with the scenery at all. They stretch back along the road towards the lagoa, ending at the best access point to the larger dunes, where you can find sand-boards for hire.
Surf shops line the road which ends in a large car park behind the beach restaurants, and lessons and hire can be found there too, making Praia Joaquina one of the best fun beaches of Florianópolis.