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Ceará (litoral oeste) · Itapipoca · Baleia

Praia da Baleia

also known as Baleia

lagoonbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Praia de Caetanos 14 km · Praia de Emboaca 17 km · Fleixeiras 22 km · Praia de Mundaú 25 km · Icaraí de Amontada 26 km · Praia de Guajiru 26 km · Curimãs 28 km · Moitas 32 km · Lagoinha 39 km · Almofala 48 km · Ilha do Guajiru 59 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-35 knotsmixed Launchtidalno access rules on record Waterocean bay with nearby freshwater lagoons28°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airportno transfer time publishedInternational Airport (FOR)

When it fills in

Afternoon wind is stronger and more constant

Praia da Baleia is a 4 km cove in Itapipoca, west of Trairi and about 180 km from Fortaleza, with dunes and freshwater lagoons behind it and a quiet village on the sand.

The Alísios blow E to NE side-on from July to January, 15 to 35 knots, and the afternoon is the steadier half of the day; when it swings SE it comes side-off, and that is the day to stay closer in. The tide runs big and it decides what you ride.

Low tide gives flat water for freestyle in the main stretch and around Pedra Baleia, with wide hard sand to rig on; high tide brings medium waves at Pedrinhas and the central beach and squeezes the launch to a strip.

Look before you go east: scattered rocks and coral, plus fish traps, sit in the water there, and fishing boats work the cove. There is no rescue on record. Three schools (Hora do Kite, Takito Kite House, Kite Evolution Baleia), a handful of pousadas and a few restaurants; quieter than the big Ceará hubs by a distance.

Whether the lagoons behind the dunes hold water all season is unconfirmed.

The wind

locals call it Alisios / Nordeste

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: Afternoon wind is stronger and more constant

Typical strength

15-35 knots in season

Constant seasonal wind, with best consistency in the afternoon.

July to January at Baleia itself; the wider Ceará trade season is usually counted into February, with August to December the most reliable stretch.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal and trade wind

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider in the season trades: 9-11 m while it is still in the 15-18 kt band, 8-9 m once it settles around 20 kt, and 7 m or less on the 25-30 kt afternoons of the strong months. Two kites cover a trip, something in the 9-11 m range plus a 7-8 m.Regional guidance for Ceara's 15-30 kt trades, not a measurement at Baleia; being underpowered here costs you a session, being overpowered in a 28 kt gust costs more.

Direction to shore

E and NE are side-on; SE is side-off.

Dominant direction

E, NE; SE also occurs

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month68
Feb62
Mar26
Apr17
May59
Jun81
Jul, riders' month98
Aug, riders' month99
Sep, riders' month100
Oct, riders' month100
Nov, riders' month98
Dec, riders' month95

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.

12Jan29°
12Feb29°
9Mar30°
9Apr30°
11May30°
12Jun29°
14Jul28°
16Aug28°
17Sep28°
16Oct28°
15Nov28°
14Dec29°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	68%	11.7 kt	E	27.3°C	29.3°C
Feb	62%	11.5 kt	E	27°C	29.3°C
Mar	26%	9.4 kt	ESE	26.4°C	29.8°C
Apr	17%	9.2 kt	ESE	26.4°C	30°C
May	59%	11 kt	ESE	27°C	29.5°C
Jun	81%	12.1 kt	ESE	26.8°C	28.7°C
Jul	98%	14.1 kt	ESE	27°C	27.9°C
Aug	99%	15.7 kt	ESE	27.1°C	27.5°C
Sep	100%	17 kt	ESE	27.2°C	27.5°C
Oct	100%	16.2 kt	E	27.5°C	27.9°C
Nov	98%	14.6 kt	E	27.8°C	28.4°C
Dec	95%	14.1 kt	E	27.9°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

ocean bay with nearby freshwater lagoons

Standing depth

Standing depth at low tide in the main area and around Pedra Baleia; the tide range is big, so the depth changes fast.

Tides

Large tide variation: low tide opens flat water and wider sand; high tide brings medium waves and narrows the beach for launch/landing.

Temperature

28°C summer · 27°C winter

Wetsuit

No wetsuit normally needed; board shorts/bikini or lycra.

28–30°C water

A cove of roughly 4 km with dunes and freshwater lagoons behind it. Flat water for freestyle at low tide; a wave section at Pedrinhas and the central beach at high tide.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

People learn here at low tide, and the flat water makes that work; the high-tide waves and the rocks to the east are why others call it an intermediate spot.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreestylesmall wavesfreeridestraplessdownwinders

A quiet village: a few pousadas and restaurants, the kite services that come with three schools, local kite visitors.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tidal

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

Praia de Caetanos, 14 km

Praia de Caetanos Praia de Emboaca Fleixeiras

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

Rescue

No dedicated kite rescue is on record. The three schools on the sand are the practical first call for a downwind pickup, and it is worth agreeing that with one of them before you ride far from the village.

For a real emergency at sea the Brazilian navy runs a 24-hour maritime emergency line on 185, in service since 2008 and answered by the SALVAMAR search-and-rescue network. Nothing is stationed at the beach itself.

Launch

Sand launch on the cove. Plenty of hard sand at low tide; at high tide the strip narrows and landing a kite takes care.

Space

tidal

Rider tips

Ride the low tide for flat water and the room to rig; at high tide the sand goes and the launch gets tight.
Walk the east end of the beach at low water before you ride it; that is where the rocks, the coral and the fish traps are.
On a SE day the wind is side-off; keep your tacks short and leave someone on the beach.
Come August to December for the most reliable wind; the afternoon is stronger than the morning.
Count on about 180 km from Fortaleza; sort the transfer before you land.

Getting there

Airport

Fortaleza Pinto Martins International Airport (FOR)

Route

Praia da Baleia is in Itapipoca on Ceara's west coast, about 180 km from Fortaleza. By road it is the CE-085 west out of the city, then the CE-168 at Barrento towards Marinheiros and on to the beach. Parking sits close to the sand, so the walk to the water is short.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Pousadas in the village, some run for kiters, plus bars and restaurants.

No-wind days

Lendarias Baleienses dunes and freshwater lagoons · sandboarding · beach walks · sunset · restaurants and beach bars

Photos

Coqueirais - Praia da Baleia - panoramio — MACÍLIO GOMES, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Praia da Baleia?

The season runs from July to January, with wind commonly 15-35 knots.

Is Praia da Baleia suitable for beginners?

Yes, one local source states the spot has good wind for all levels and is specifically used for learning, though the terrain is wilder than the bigger Ceara hubs.

What is the wind like?

The wind is a thermal, trade-driven E/NE, described as side-onshore and strongest in the afternoon.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Hora do Kite, Takito Kite House and Kite Evolution Baleia.

Last updated: August 2026