MapBrazilIcaraí de AmontadaIcaraí de AmontadaIcaraí de Amontada

Icaraí de Amontada

Ceará · Icaraí de Amontada village

also known as Icaraizinho, Icaraizinho de Amontada, Icaraí

Part of Icaraí de Amontada →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Jul–Jan

Months riders and schools name

How windy

18-30 kt

Character: trade

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

27 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Aug Sep Oct Nov

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

180 min

International Airport (FOR)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Lagoinha
Jericoacoara
Lagoa dos Patosno page yet
Praia da Pontano page yet
Rio Aracatiaçuno page yet
Caetanosno page yet

The spot

Icaraí de Amontada, which every rider calls Icaraizinho, sits in a curved bay in Ceará roughly 190-200 km from Fortaleza, and the tide decides which spot you get: low water opens shallow flat sections for lessons and freestyle, higher water brings chop, and the reef and the bay tip pick up small waves.

Wind pattern

The wind is east to northeast trade, running from June or July through January, with the reliable block around August-November. The curve of the bay matters more than the forecast.

Spot selection

The middle of the bay in front of the village is the gustiest part, and schools move riders to the east point, the west side, Lagoa dos Patos or onto a downwind route depending on the angle.

Learning here

Beginners can learn here, but do it through a school, because tide, reef, channels and launch choice all change the answer. The village has schools, storage, rentals, restaurants and pousadas, enough for a multi-day stay, and it stays quieter than the bigger Ceará hubs.

The wind

locals call it northeast/east trade winds

Direction

cross-onoffshorewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-on. The northeast trade arrives side-onshore across the bay, but the curve of the bay bends the angle: the eastern end leans offshore and the western end is more onshore, so the same wind is a different spot depending where you put the kite down. The middle of the bay in front of the village is the gustiest part.

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider the pairing handed out locally is an 8 m and an 11 m. The 8 m is the season kite from August to November, when 20-30 kt is normal and 35 kt happens, and a 7 m is worth carrying if you ride the strongest afternoons; the 11 m covers June, July, January and the light mornings.February to June drops to 8-15 kt on about half the days and no normal quiver rescues it.

Character

trade

Typical strength

18-30 kt through the July-January season, with local quotes reaching 18-35 kt on the strong days and 90% of days above Beaufort 4 from July to January. February to June falls to 8-15 kt on roughly 55% of days.

Consistent in season, though the middle of the bay in front of the village is gustier because of the way the bay curves. Pick the east point, the west point or the lagoon by tide and wind angle.

The trade wind fills in from June or July and holds through January. The strongest and most reliable months are usually given as August-November, sometimes narrowed to September-November. February-May is the rainy off-season and the least reliable stretch.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan.

About these figuresno series

Nothing usable has been measured or modelled for this place. The months come from what riders say, or from nothing at all.

Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

1-1.5 m on the eastern point at low tide, which is chest-deep for most riders, and flat water reaching about 30 m out from the shore on the west side at the same stage. That window closes as the tide fills: the same ground turns to chop, and the reef and bay-tip sections pick up small waves.

Tides

Semi-diurnal, four tides a day. On the nearest published stations either side of the bay highs run about 2.5-2.8 m and lows 0.4-0.8 m, monthly extremes reach 3.4-3.6 m and drop just below zero, and coefficients swing between 25 and 102, so the spring lows expose far more of the bay than the neaps.Tide is the main variable in choosing where to ride: low water gives the shallow flat sections for lessons and freestyle, higher water brings chop and, over the reef and around the bay tip, small waves.The bay-tip centre is the exception and can launch at any tide.

Temperature

27 °C summer · 27 °C winter

Wetsuit

No wetsuit needed; local school Todos Al Agua recommends UV-protective lycra instead.

Conditions

The bay is really several micro-spots: flat inside or at low tide, choppy at high tide, reef waves near the bay tip, and a low-tide lagoon and flat-water area west toward Moitas.

A reef and channels are reportedly in play, so first-timers should ask a school where to enter and exit at the current tide.

Freshwater Lagoa dos Patos and the flat lagoons around Caetanos and Lençóis Cearenses are nearby alternatives rather than the main beach spot.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners belong in the supervised shallow flat sections at low tide; the wavier reef and bay-tip water and the guided downwind routes are for intermediates and up. Schools teach at every stage and run downwinders, but an independent beginner should not pick a tide or a reef channel without a local briefing.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestylefreerideflat waterbeginner lessonssmall wavesdownwindwingfoilwindsurf

Who it suitsbeginner

Established but still quieter than Ceará's larger kite hubs: a peaceful fishing village with pousadas, restaurants, beach bars, kite centers, international riders, and regular guided downwinds rather than a mass-resort scene.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

8 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

11 spots nearby

All 11 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Organized safety

One centre on the bay tip runs a genuine safety operation: a lifeguard team, safety boats, rescue cars and radio communication, with vests, helmets and radio contact included in its lessons and rentals. That cover belongs to people riding with the centre, and its rental terms require the gear to stay at its own spot, so it is not a service for the whole bay.

Guided downwinds

Guided downwinds from the village are run with in-water and shore support and a 4x4 following where the beach allows, though river mouths and mangroves break the road in places.

Independent riders

There is no public lifeguard post and no paid rescue for independent riders, so ride within reach of a school or with someone who will notice you are gone.

Launch

Sandy launches run along a 6-7 km curved bay, with the main centres at or near the bay tip and on the west side by the school and bar areas.One measure of the waterfront puts it at 6 km with room to spare, and the bay-tip centre can launch at any tide.Which launch is the right one changes with tide, wind angle and whether you want flat water, waves or a downwind start.

Hazards riders report 17 reported

Wind

Gustier wind in the middle of the bay in front of the village.
Wind angle changes across the curved bay: east side can be offshore-leaning and west side more onshore, so downwind safety margins vary by exact launch.
Gustier wind in the middle of the bay in front of the village.
The bay's curve changes the wind angle: the east end leans offshore and the west end is more onshore, so downwind safety margins vary by launch.

Crowds and zones

crowded launch zone in peak season
Stakes in the water and other beach users near the village front.
Stakes in the water and other beach users near the village front.
Crowded launch zone in front of the village in peak season.

Waves and currents

shifting sandbanks and channels at mid tide
small wave shorebreak at high tide on the exposed section
Reef and reef channels in front of some pousadas; that section works around high tide unless a guide takes you through the channel.
Waves/chop build at high tide, especially around the reef/bay-tip areas.
Reef and reef channels in front of some pousadas; one section is practically limited to about three hours either side of high tide unless a guide takes you through the channel.
Chop and small waves build at high tide, especially around the reef and bay-tip areas.
Shifting sandbanks and channels at mid tide.

Other

River mouths and mangroves can interrupt 4x4 shore support on longer downwinds.
River mouths and mangroves interrupt 4x4 shore support on longer downwinds.

Rules & access

1 min read

Informal kite zones are respected by the schools to separate lesson areas from free-riders, especially near the village center
No municipal kite permit, marked kite zone or seasonal ban is on record for Amontada in 2026.
Schools keep their lesson water separate from free-riders near the village centre; the split is an agreement between centres, not posted signage.
Gear rented from the bay-tip centre has to be used at that centre's own spot; riding it elsewhere along the bay voids the rental.

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

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ride the low-tide window for the flattest water; 1-1.5 m on the east point is the sweet spot for freestyle.
Read the bay before you rig: east end flatter and leaning offshore, west end choppier with small waves, middle in front of the village gustiest.
Ask a local school where the reef channel runs before you ride an unfamiliar section at low water.
Pack an 8 and an 11 at around 80 kg, plus a 7 for the August-November afternoons; a 7-11 m spread covers most riders and the heavy end wants the big kite.
Plan around the 09:30 to 17:30 school hours, the only published proxy for the usable window; Vila Mango and the other centres handle storage, lessons and downwind logistics.
Carry cash, there is no bank or ATM in the village, and book a transfer that takes board bags for the 3-hour run from Fortaleza.

Getting there

Airport

Fortaleza Pinto Martins International Airport (FOR)

Route

Fly to Fortaleza, then take a pre-arranged transfer or taxi, or drive the west-coast route: about 190-200 km and roughly 2.5-3 hours. Some pousadas arrange private door-to-door transfers. A daily bus from Fortaleza's bus station is reportedly an option, with the departure time to check locally.

Transfer

180 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Pousadas, guesthouses, small hotels and kite-connected beach clubs rather than large resorts. País Tropical, Villa Mango, Villas Icaraizinho and the ClubVentos-linked lodging are the names you will keep hearing. There is no bank or ATM in Icaraí, so bring cash even though most places take cards.

No-wind days

SUP or kayak on the river/mangroves, buggy/quad or horseback trips, dunes, lagoons, nearby Moitas and Caetanos, boat trips on the Rio Aracatiaçu, yoga/pilates, beach walks at low tide, restaurants and beach bars.

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Icaraí de Amontada?

The season runs June or July through January, with August to November commonly cited as the strongest window.

Is Icaraí de Amontada suitable for beginners?

Yes, schools use supervised shallow, flat-water zones for lessons, while independent beginners should still get local briefing before choosing a tide and channel.

What is the wind like?

East to northeast trade wind runs 18-30 knots in high season, though the middle of the bay in front of the village can be gustier.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, several schools operate along the bay, including ClubVentos and Cabana do Kite, some offering monitored zones and rescue-boat support.

Are there rules or zones?

Local schools informally separate lesson areas from free-riders near the village center, especially in busier periods.

The bigger pictureEverything about Icaraí de Amontada

Last updated: August 2026