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Ceará (litoral oeste) · São Gonçalo do Amarante · Pecém

Pecém Reef

also known as Praia do Pecém, Pecém

advanced only

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Taibinha 2 km · Taíba 7 km · Lagoa do Cauípe 13 km · Cumbuco 16 km · Lagoa do Parnamirim 19 km · Praia da Tabuba 21 km · Lagoa da Barra Nova 24 km · Paracuru 25 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25mixed Launchmediumno access rules on record Waterocean reef / point-break7 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section

Schoolsnone named here

From the airport60 minInternational Airport (FOR)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Pecém Reef is a wave spot, one of the few point-breaks on the Ceará coast between Cumbuco and Paracuru, off Praia do Pecém in São Gonçalo do Amarante, about 60 km from Fortaleza.

The trade wind, the Alísios, blows 15-25 kt from July to February from somewhere between NE and ESE, cross-onshore on this stretch, same as Taíba and Paracuru next door. The wave needs swell and a very low tide; on the low the reef also throws up a calmer protected patch inside, which is the freeride option.

Rocks at falling tide are the real hazard, and the cargo pier has cut how often the point actually breaks, so ask before you build a wave trip around it. Not a beginner spot: intermediate at the least, and nobody has confirmed a lesson area.

Where exactly people rig, whether there is any rescue, and even the water temperature are undocumented, though nobody wears a wetsuit on this coast.

The wind

locals call it Alísios / Nordeste

Direction

cross-onNE

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

Typical strength

15-25

consistent in the July-February trade-wind season; wave quality depends on very low tide and swell

July to February, 15-25 kt southeast trade. January and July-December also appear as best months, and the wind is sometimes labeled thermal.

Thermal or synoptic

trade wind

The quiver, in words

No Pecém-specific quiver; for 15-25 kt on this coast, 7-12 m with a 9 m as the centre kite for an average-weight rider.

Direction to shore

Cross-onshore for the Cumbuco-to-Paracuru coast; coverage is regional rather than beach-surveyed at the exact reef.

Dominant direction

NE, ENE, E, ESE / SE

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month67
Feb, riders' month61
Mar31
Apr16
May47
Jun70
Jul, riders' month98
Aug, riders' month98
Sep, riders' month100
Oct, riders' month100
Nov, riders' month97
Dec, riders' month94

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

12Jan29°
12Feb29°
10Mar30°
9Apr30°
11May30°
12Jun29°
13Jul28°
15Aug27°
17Sep27°
16Oct28°
14Nov28°
13Dec29°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	67%	11.6 kt	E	27.2°C	29.2°C
Feb	61%	11.5 kt	E	26.9°C	29.3°C
Mar	31%	9.6 kt	ESE	26.3°C	29.7°C
Apr	16%	9 kt	ESE	26.4°C	29.9°C
May	47%	10.7 kt	ESE	26.9°C	29.5°C
Jun	70%	11.9 kt	ESE	26.5°C	28.6°C
Jul	98%	13.4 kt	ESE	26.6°C	27.8°C
Aug	98%	15 kt	ESE	26.8°C	27.3°C
Sep	100%	16.5 kt	ESE	26.9°C	27.3°C
Oct	100%	15.6 kt	E	27.2°C	27.7°C
Nov	97%	14.1 kt	E	27.5°C	28.3°C
Dec	94%	13.4 kt	E	27.7°C	28.7°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 reef / point-break

Tides

Low tide is the best tide: the reef makes a calmer protected zone inside and the wave needs it. The spot is reportedly not tide dependent for plain freeride; unconfirmed.

Wetsuit

shorts / no wetsuit indicated by seasonal clothing data, but no spot-specific water-temperature figure was found

27–30°C water

Reef spot off Pecém, one of the few point-breaks on this coast; the cargo pier has cut how often the point works.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate to expert. Reef, rocks and a point-break setup; no beginner lesson area confirmed.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridereef-protected watersmall waveswave ridingreef-protected low-tide waterdownwinders

small-town Pecém setting with limited nightlife; no current crowd report was found for the reef.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: medium

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

Taibinha, 2 km

Taibinha Taíba Lagoa do Cauípe

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

Launch

Beach or offshore reef access near Pecém; public beach access to Praia do Pecém is documented, but the exact reef launch/access point is not clearly documented.

Space

medium

Rider tips

Ride the low or falling tide for the wave and the protected inside, and watch the rocks as it drops.
Ask in Pecém whether the point has been breaking since the cargo pier went in before you plan a wave session around it.
Bring a 9 m as the centre kite with a 7 and a 12 either side; 15-25 kt is the normal range.
Come by buggy or taxi along CE-085 from Fortaleza, about 60 km, and mind the cars that get close to the launch.
Skip it for a first lesson unless a local school shows you a beginner area; none has been confirmed.

Getting there

Airport

Fortaleza Pinto Martins International Airport (FOR)

Route

Praia do Pecém is between Cumbuco and Paracuru, about 60 km from Fortaleza with access by CE-085; local transport or buggy/taxi is typically used for coast runs.

Transfer

60 min

Cost level

mid

Staying

Pecém village has the basics; nothing kite-specific near the reef is documented.

No-wind days

Beach days in Pecém village and coast runs to Taíba, Paracuru and Cumbuco; in the municipality also Balneário Manuel Fernandes, Lagoa da Prejubaca and the Jardim Botânico.

Photos

PECEM (CE) LUGAR LINDO 1 - panoramio — Robson costa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Pecem Reef?

The trade-wind season runs from July to February, with wind commonly in the 15-25 knot range.

Is Pecem Reef suitable for beginners?

No. It is described as an intermediate-to-expert reef and point-break spot rather than a beginner venue.

What is the wind like?

The wind is a thermal trade wind from NE through SE, typically 15-25 knots.

What hazards should riders know about?

Rocks and reef are exposed or very shallow at low tide, and a nearby cargo pier has changed how often the point-break works.

Last updated: August 2026