Map › Brazil › Ceará — Praia do Amor to Tibau do Sul - Malembá › Praia de Cacimbinhas

Ceará (litoral leste) e Rio Grande do Norte · Rio Grande do Norte, Tibau do Sul / Pipa · Pipa / Tibau do Sul

Praia de Cacimbinhas

also known as Cacimbinhas, Praia das Cacimbinhas, Cacimbinha, Praia de Cacimbinha

advanced onlymedium 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 Tibau do Sul - Malembá 3 km · Praia do Amor 6 km · Barra do Cunhaú 13 km · Pirangi 26 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJul to Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25 ktmixed Launchmedium to broad sand, depending on tide and beach usersaccess rules on record, below Waterocean beach break28°C in summer · 12 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airport90 minGovernador Aluízio Alves (NAT)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Cacimbinhas is the open bay on the Pipa coast of Rio Grande do Norte, on RN-003 between Tibau do Sul and Praia do Madeiro, and it is the exposed one: deeper water than the beaches in town, medium waves, cloudy water, and constant wind because nothing shelters it.

The alísios blow from the E or SE at 15-25 kt, July to December the best months, with the southeast trades reportedly running through to February. Water is 27-28 C, shorts all year. You get in by stairs from the cliff-top road or by walking along the sand from Tibau do Sul, so pack light.

Dunes and cliffs at your back, no rescue service, and no kite rules on paper as of 2026. It is a wave and freeride beach for intermediates and up; beginners learn on the Pipa lagoon and river-mouth setups, not here, and only strong swimmers should get far outside.

Which way the wind sits to this beach is not stated anywhere reliable, which is a real gap for a spot this exposed.

The wind

locals call it alísios / trade winds

Direction

onshoreE generally reported

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

Typical strength

15-25 kt reported

Trade wind with a thermal on top. The beach is windy, and the southeast trades from July to February are consistent.

July to December are the best months; the southeast trade-wind window reportedly runs July through February.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal and trade

The quiver, in words

No local size guidance is published. Across the 15-25 kt trade window a 75-85 kg rider is on about 12 m at the light end and 8-9 m when it is full on, with 9-10 m covering most days of the July-December season. Indicative, derived from the wind range rather than from measured sessions here.

Dominant direction

E generally reported; SE trades also reported

Forecast

Month by month

Jan19
Feb42
Mar23
Apr8
May34
Jun53
Jul, riders' month76
Aug, riders' month81
Sep, riders' month92
Oct, riders' month74
Nov, riders' month53
Dec, riders' month53

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

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

19%Jan30°
42%Feb30°
23%Mar30°
8%Apr30°
34%May29°
53%Jun28°
76%Jul27°
81%Aug27°
92%Sep27°
74%Oct28°
53%Nov29°
53%Dec29°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	From	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	19%	48%	27%	11.1 kt	ESE	13:00	27.3°C	29.5°C	62
Feb	42%	70%	53%	11.9 kt	ESE	14:00	27.5°C	29.7°C	57
Mar	23%	50%	27%	10.6 kt	SE	13:00	27°C	30.1°C	62
Apr	8%	35%	12%	10.2 kt	SE	13:00	27°C	30°C	60
May	34%	61%	47%	11.6 kt	SE	13:00	26.5°C	29.4°C	62
Jun	53%	90%	72%	13.1 kt	SE	13:00	25.4°C	28°C	60
Jul	76%	85%	81%	14.2 kt	SE	13:00	24.9°C	27.1°C	62
Aug	81%	95%	85%	14.5 kt	SE	13:00	25°C	27°C	62
Sep	92%	93%	93%	15.2 kt	SE	12:00	25.4°C	27.1°C	60
Oct	74%	90%	82%	13.5 kt	ESE	13:00	26.3°C	27.9°C	62
Nov	53%	80%	60%	12.7 kt	ESE	12:00	27°C	28.5°C	60
Dec	53%	82%	65%	12.4 kt	ESE	12:00	27.2°C	28.9°C	62

modelled

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

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

ocean beach break

Standing depth

Deeper than the beaches in town, and there are no standing shallows to fall back on. The bay is open, the water drops away, and only confident swimmers should go far out. No measured depth is published.

Tides

Rideable at any tide state. How the beach width, the shorebreak and the cliff stairs change between high and low water is not documented anywhere.

Temperature

28°C summer · 27°C winter

Wetsuit

shorts or rash vest year-round

27–30°C watershorts or rash vest year-round

Open bay with medium waves and cloudy water. It is deeper than the beaches in town and the wind is more constant for the same reason: nothing shelters it. Dunes and cliffs behind, and if you go far out you need to be a strong swimmer.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate and expert. The Pipa lagoon, river mouth and beach breaks around it work for beginners and intermediates, but Cacimbinhas is the deep, open end of that, and you should be a confident swimmer before you get far out. Not a spot for a first independent session.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavesfreeridedownwindwarm water

Kiters, surfers and beach tourists share it. Quieter than central Pipa, but it is on the tourist circuit, not a secret.

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: medium to broad sand, depending on tide and beach users

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Tibau do Sul - Malembá, 3 km

Tibau do Sul - Malembá Praia do Amor Barra do Cunhaú

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

Rescue

No official rescue service has been found: no lifeguard post on the beach, and nothing kite-specific. The bay is open and deep, so treat every session as self-rescue and stay inside your own swimming range.

Launch

Wide fine-sand beach between Tibau do Sul and Praia do Madeiro, backed by cliffs and dunes. Two ways in: down the staircase from the RN-003 cliff-top road, or a long walk along the sand from Tibau do Sul. Nothing on the sand itself, no shade and no services.

Space

medium to broad sand, depending on tide and beach users

Rules & access

No kite-specific municipal rule found as of 2026.

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

Rider tips

Check the tide and the state of the stairs before hauling gear down from RN-003; the alternative is a walk in along the sand from Tibau do Sul.
Go out with a Pipa school the first time if you have never launched off an exposed wave beach; Pipa Kite Center, Pedro Dr.Kite and KiteMaster all work this coast.
Do not come here for flat water; the lagoon and river-mouth teaching setups are elsewhere around Pipa, and a school will tell you which one is running that day.
Bring water and sun cover; there is nothing behind the beach but dunes and cliffs.
Stay inside your own swimming range. The bay is open, the water is deep and nobody is coming to get you.

Getting there

Airport

Natal International Airport / Aeroporto Internacional Governador Aluízio Alves (NAT)

Route

Pipa is in the municipality of Tibau do Sul, 80 km south of Natal; the airport is 94 km from the resort area. By car from Natal, take BR-101 south to Goianinha, then the signed road to Pipa and Tibau do Sul. Cacimbinhas is on RN-003 between Tibau do Sul and Praia do Madeiro.

Transfer

90 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Most accommodation is in Pipa and Tibau do Sul, with pousadas, hotels and rental houses across multiple budgets.

No-wind days

Pipa beaches, Praia do Madeiro, Baía dos Golfinhos, Lagoa de Guaraíras, buggy or quad tours, sandboard/esqui-bunda on the dunes, horse riding, surf and Pipa nightlife.

Photos

Chapadão - RN (7960168660) — Rafael Vianna Croffi from São Paulo, Brazil, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Praia de Cacimbinhas?

The best-documented season is July to December, with some accounts extending the SE trade-wind window into February.

Is Praia de Cacimbinhas suitable for beginners?

No. Rider ability is listed as intermediate and expert, and only experienced swimmers are advised to go far from shore in the deeper, open water here.

What is the wind like?

The wind is a thermal, trade-driven easterly to southeasterly, typically 15-25 knots.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Pipa Kite Center, Pedro Dr.Kite and KiteMaster, all based in nearby Pipa.

Last updated: August 2026