Map › Brazil › Barra do Cunhaú

Ceará (litoral leste) e Rio Grande do Norte · Rio Grande do Norte, Canguaretama · Canguaretama

Barra do Cunhaú

also known as Barra de Cunhaú, Barra do Cunhau, Barra do Cunhaú, Barra de Cunhau

lagoonbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Praia do Amor 9 km · Praia de Cacimbinhas 13 km · Tibau do Sul - Malembá 16 km · Barra de Camaratuba 32 km · Pirangi 39 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy12-25 kttrade Launchbigaccess rules on record, below Waterriver mouth/lagoon/ocean28°C in summer · 14 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airport60 minNatal International Airport (NAT)

On the clock

10:00 · 12:00

Starts working through the morning and reaches its strongest speed of the day between about 10:00 and 12:00, then holds into the afternoon.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Barra do Cunhau is the Curimatau river mouth near Canguaretama and Pipa in Rio Grande do Norte, and the reason to come is the lagoon: big, flat, with a stand-deep area large enough to spend a whole session in.

Outside the mouth there are waves, small ones on one side for first wave steps and a faster, hollower section on the other that is not for beginners.

The Alisios blow SE from July to late January, strongest July to November; some put the best window at August to November or August to February, and the numbers range from 12-25 kt to 20-30 kt depending on who counts.

It builds through the morning and peaks between about 10:00 and 12:00. Bring 7-9 m for the strong months and a 12 m for December-January, when it drops to 10-18 kt. Launches are sandy and there are several: the lagoon side, the left beach, the sandbank opposite.

The one real hazard is the current at the lagoon mouth on the outgoing tide, so ride the back of the lagoon when the water is running out. Barra itself is a quiet fishing village with pousadas, one hotel and a couple of bars; Pipa handles the nightlife.

The wind

locals call it Alisios

Direction

onshore

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: Starts working through the morning and reaches its strongest speed of the day between about 10:00 and 12:00, then holds into the afternoon.

Typical strength

12-25 kt in the main July-November period, or 20-30 kt August-November, or 15-25 kt July-December; three ranges from three different counts.

Dependable seasonal trade wind, strongest and most consistent from July/August to November.

July to the end of January, with July to October the most consistent stretch and August the windiest month of the year. Other windows quoted: August-February, July to mid-December, August-November. December and January are lighter but still rideable on a bigger kite.

Also on record

12-25 kt July-November; December-January 10-18 kt.

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider: 9 m covers most of July to October at 15-25 kt, 7 m when it is properly on in August to October, and a 12 m for December and January when it drops to 10-18 kt.

Direction to shore

varies by launch: lagoon onshore, left beach sideshore, opposite beach side-onshore

Dominant direction

SE trade. It sits around ESE either side of the turn of the year and swings to E-SE and SE through the middle months.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month19
Feb38
Mar25
Apr16
May41
Jun53
Jul, riders' month81
Aug, riders' month81
Sep, riders' month87
Oct, riders' month73
Nov, riders' month41
Dec, riders' month43

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

10Jan29°
10Feb30°
10Mar30°
10Apr30°
10May29°
11Jun28°
13Jul27°
13Aug27°
13Sep27°
12Oct28°
11Nov28°
11Dec29°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	19%	9.7 kt	SE	27°C	29.4°C
Feb	38%	10.4 kt	SE	27.3°C	29.5°C
Mar	25%	9.8 kt	SE	26.8°C	30°C
Apr	16%	9.5 kt	SE	26.7°C	29.9°C
May	41%	10.4 kt	SSE	26.3°C	29.4°C
Jun	53%	11.2 kt	SSE	25.1°C	27.9°C
Jul	81%	12.9 kt	SSE	24.6°C	27°C
Aug	81%	12.9 kt	SSE	24.8°C	26.9°C
Sep	87%	13 kt	SSE	25.2°C	27°C
Oct	73%	12.1 kt	SE	26.2°C	27.7°C
Nov	41%	10.8 kt	ESE	26.8°C	28.3°C
Dec	43%	10.8 kt	ESE	27°C	28.8°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

river mouth/lagoon/ocean

Standing depth

The lagoon holds a large stand-deep area, big enough to spend a whole session in without going out of your depth. At low tide a second standing patch opens behind the offshore reef at the river mouth.The back of the lagoon keeps its flat water through the tide; the mouth itself is the deep part and the part that moves.

Tides

Tide-affected, because the lagoon opens to the sea. Both high and low work and give different water: low tide uncovers sandbanks and the standing area behind the reef at the mouth, high tide floods the lagoon into one flat sheet. Some listings for the wider multi-beach area call it tide-independent, which holds for the beach but not for the mouth.

Temperature

28°C summer · 26°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorts/boardshorts year-round; 26-28 C water and 28-32 C air are reported.

Currents

Current occurs at the front/lagoon mouth when water runs out; the bigger back part of the lagoon stays flatter through the day.

27–30°C water

The spot combines flat shallow lagoon/river-mouth water with wave sections outside and near the river exit. Smaller waves are found on one side for first wave steps, while faster/hollower or more radical waves on the other side are not for beginners.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The flat shallow lagoon is the beginner and progression area. Advanced riders take the outside and the more radical wave section; beginners stay off the mouth current and the powerful wave side.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreestylefreeridewavesdownwindbeginner lessonskitefoilwingfoil

Quiet fishing-village/nature spot with pousadas and restaurants; weekends have more local nightlife, while nearby Pipa is the busier party and surf base.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: big

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Praia do Amor, 9 km

Praia do Amor Praia de Cacimbinhas Tibau do Sul - Malembá

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

The schools working the lagoon cover their own riders and will come out for someone in trouble. No lifeguard schedule, public rescue service or emergency number for the river mouth has been published, and the outgoing current at the mouth is the reason it matters.

Launch

Multiple sandy launch options around the lagoon, river mouth and ocean beach, including the main lagoon side, the left beach and the opposite sandbank/beach.

Space

big

Hazards riders report 14

currents at the lagoon mouth when water runs out
rocks in some areas
reefs
ships
swimmers in holiday months
Outgoing-tide current at the lagoon/river mouth
Brazilian tides changing the lagoon and sandbanks
Reefs and some rocks in parts of the area
Ships/boats reported in one listing
Swimmers and bystanders in holiday months
More radical wave section not suitable for beginners
offshore reef in front of the river mouth, barely covered at low tide
reef sections dotted along the beach south of the river mouth
fishing boats working the river mouth

Rules & access

2026: no municipal kite zoning, permit, fee or launch restriction for Barra do Cunhau was found in official sources. Nothing local formally divides the water between kiters, swimmers and fishing boats, so the holiday-month bathing crowd is handled by common sense rather than a marked zone.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

When the tide is running out, ride the back of the lagoon; the mouth pulls.
Pack 7-9 m for August-November and a 12 m for the late season.
Pick your wave side: one is small and forgiving, the other is faster and hollower and not for a first wave session.
Wind peaks between about 10:00 and 12:00; do not sleep in.
Stay in Barra do Cunhau for quiet, go to Pipa for nightlife and everything else.
Low tide is the beginner window: the standing area behind the reef at the mouth only appears when the water is down.
August is statistically the windiest month here, not the middle of the season people usually book.

Getting there

Airport

Natal International Airport (NAT)

Route

Fly to Natal, then south on BR-101 and RN-269 through Canguaretama to Barra do Cunhau. Between 85 and 90 km depending on the route, and between one hour and one hour fifteen by car. Pousadas will arrange a transfer if you would rather not drive.

Transfer

60 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Pousadas, one hotel, restaurants and small bars in Barra do Cunhau, with lodging and food close to the spot.

No-wind days

SUP or canoe trips on the Curimatau River and mangroves, Canguaretama local markets, beach time, surfing/nightlife/dolphin watching in Pipa.

Photos

Barra do Cunhaú — Antonio Teofilo Pinheiro Neto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Barra do Cunhau?

The season runs July through late January, with July to November generally the strongest and most consistent period.

Is Barra do Cunhau suitable for beginners?

Yes, the flat shallow lagoon is widely described as suitable for beginners, while advanced riders use the outside wave sections.

What is the wind like?

SE trade winds typically blow 12-25 knots from July to November, building through the morning to a daily peak around 10:00-12:00.

What hazards should I know about?

Current builds at the lagoon mouth when the tide runs out, so beginners should stay in the flatter back part of the lagoon.

Last updated: August 2026