Ceará (litoral oeste) · Amontada · Icaraí de Amontada

Moitas

also known as Praia de Moitas, Praia da Ponta, Barra de Moitas

beginner-friendlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Icaraí de Amontada 6 km · Torrões 12 km · Almofala 16 km · Praia de Caetanos 18 km · Ilha do Guajiru 27 km · Praia da Baleia 32 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy18-35 knotstrade Launchlargeno access rules on record Waterocean and river mouth28°C in summer · 7 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport200 minInternational Airport (FOR)

When it fills in

Usually stable by late morning in northern Brazil; no Moitas-specific onset time found.

Moitas is the small bay and fishing village west of Icaraí de Amontada, with the Rio Aracatiaçu coming out at the downwind end. It is its own spot, not an alias for Icaraizinho.

The trades, the Alísios, blow from NE to ESE July to January, August to November the strong months and September usually the strongest, 18-28 knots on an ordinary day and up to 35 on a big one.

The whole beach is rideable, but the reason to come is low tide: sandbars show where the river meets the sea and the water behind them goes flat, which is where the freestyle happens and where Praia da Ponta gets used for lessons. At high tide the bars are under water and it is just a long, quiet ocean beach.

Water is 27-28 C, so boardshorts. There is very little here, simple lodging and a few restaurants and far fewer riders than Icaraizinho, so most people sleep in Icaraizinho and ride Moitas as a downwinder or a day trip, 8-10 km by buggy or 4x4. Nobody has confirmed a rescue boat at Praia da Ponta, and the river-mouth current has never been measured.

The wind

locals call it Alísios / Nordeste

Direction

cross-onNE

Kite sizes

5678910111213

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: Usually stable by late morning in northern Brazil; no Moitas-specific onset time found.

Typical strength

18-35 knots in the wider Icaraí/Icaraizinho season; 20-35 knots also quoted for the region.

Steady trade wind at Praia da Ponta, same as the wider Icaraí de Amontada bay. The exact angle at the river mouth itself is unconfirmed.

Strong-wind season for Icaraí de Amontada is July-January, peak August-November, September the strongest month. Some put the start at June. February-May is rainier and less reliable.

Thermal or synoptic

trade wind

Also on record

18-28 knots for the Icaraizinho area; no Moitas-only average exists.

The quiver, in words

Two kites around 8/11 m for men and 7/9 m for women, weight dependent; this is Icaraizinho guidance, not Moitas-specific.

Direction to shore

side-on shore in the Icaraí de Amontada area; exact angle at Praia da Ponta/Moitas unconfirmed

Dominant direction

NE, ESE

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month66
Feb, riders' month56
Mar14
Apr12
May41
Jun, riders' month64
Jul, riders' month95
Aug, riders' month98
Sep, riders' month100
Oct, riders' month100
Nov, riders' month98
Dec, riders' month96

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

11Jan29°
11Feb29°
9Mar30°
9Apr30°
10May30°
11Jun29°
13Jul28°
15Aug28°
16Sep28°
16Oct28°
14Nov29°
14Dec29°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	66%	11.4 kt	E	27.4°C	29.4°C
Feb	56%	11 kt	E	26.9°C	29.4°C
Mar	14%	9.1 kt	E	26.2°C	29.9°C
Apr	12%	8.6 kt	ESE	26.2°C	30.1°C
May	41%	10.3 kt	ESE	26.8°C	29.7°C
Jun	64%	11.4 kt	ESE	26.8°C	28.8°C
Jul	95%	13 kt	ESE	27.1°C	28.1°C
Aug	98%	14.5 kt	ESE	27.3°C	27.7°C
Sep	100%	15.9 kt	E	27.4°C	27.7°C
Oct	100%	15.5 kt	E	27.6°C	28.1°C
Nov	98%	14.1 kt	E	27.9°C	28.6°C
Dec	96%	13.6 kt	E	28°C	28.9°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

ocean and river mouth

Standing depth

Shallow, walkable sections open behind the low-tide sandbars at the river mouth and along Praia da Ponta, shallow enough that the pools that form there are used by children. No depth has ever been measured, and the bars move.

Tides

Low to mid tide is when it works. The sandbars at the Aracatiaçu mouth come out of the water and the flat sits behind them, which is the freestyle water and the lesson water at Praia da Ponta; natural pools form along the beach on the same low. High tide covers the bars and leaves a long, ordinary ocean beach.

Temperature

28°C summer · 27°C winter

Wetsuit

No wetsuit normally needed; water runs 27-28 C, with boardshort/bikini conditions.

Currents

River-mouth current is possible at the Rio Aracatiaçu; no measured current data found.

28–30°C water

Moitas sits where the Rio Aracatiaçu reaches the Atlantic, with dunes, mangroves, warm calm water, a long quiet beach, and flat water near the river/sandbars when the tide is suitable.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Praia da Ponta is the lesson spot at low tide, flat enough for beginners and intermediates. The freestyle water is by the river at low tide, and the downwinder from Icaraizinho finishes here.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestylelessonsflat waterdownwindersfreeride

Quiet fishing village, used as a day trip and a downwind finish. Little infrastructure and far fewer riders than Icaraizinho.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

Icaraí de Amontada, 6 km

Icaraí de Amontada Torrões Almofala

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

Rescue

No lifeguard, no rescue boat and no kite operation based on this sand. On a lesson day the cover is the Icaraizinho schools, which drive their group in by 4x4 and work the shallow inside at Praia da Ponta; the rest of the time it is the village boatmen who run river trips and whoever else happens to be on the water.

Nothing is on call. Ride with someone and tell the village where you are going.

Launch

Long sandy beach launch at Moitas/Praia da Ponta, with the best flat-water school/freestyle area near the river mouth and low-tide sandbars.

Space

large

Rider tips

Ride Praia da Ponta on the low tide; the sandbars and the flat water behind them are gone once the tide comes in.
Base in Icaraizinho and do the 8-10 km to Moitas by buggy or 4x4; the local road is sand in places.
Ask in the village about current and boat traffic at the Aracatiaçu mouth before you launch near the river.
Pack two kites, around 8/11 m for men and 7/9 m for women, and adjust for your weight; 18-28 knots is the normal day.
Ride Praia da Ponta on the low to mid tide; the sandbars and the flat water behind them are gone once the tide comes in.
Base in Icaraizinho and do the 8-10 km to Moitas by buggy or 4x4, about 20 minutes on piçarra; the downwind line is 13 km.
Come for the day and sleep in Icaraizinho. Lodging and food in Moitas are minimal and there is nobody on the beach to help if a session goes wrong.

Getting there

Airport

Fortaleza International Airport (FOR)

Route

From Fortaleza, west on the CE-085 Rota do Sol Poente toward Amontada and Icaraí de Amontada. Moitas is then 8-10 km further on a piçarra dirt road, about 20 minutes by 4x4 or buggy; the downwind line from Icaraizinho runs about 13 km. Buses exist but run too rarely and too unpredictably to build a day around.

Transfer

200 min

Staying

Lodging in Moitas is simple and there are only a few restaurants; Casa Laculá is one option in the village. Most people base in Icaraizinho.

No-wind days

boat trip on the Rio Aracatiaçu · mangrove/kayak trip · buggy or quad tour from Icaraizinho · walks on dunes · oyster/seafood stops

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Moitas?

The reliable trade-wind season runs roughly from July through January, with August to November as the peak window and September typically the windiest month.

Is Moitas suitable for beginners?

Yes. A local school uses the Praia da Ponta section for beginner and intermediate lessons on the flat water that forms at low tide.

What is the wind like?

Wind is a steady NE/ESE trade wind, generally in the high-teens to mid-30-knot range during the main season.

Are there kite schools or rental at Moitas?

A few schools based in nearby Icaraizinho, including Todos Al Agua and Cabana do Kite, use Moitas as a lesson or day-trip spot.

Last updated: August 2026