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Praia de Macapá

Piauí · Barra Grande · Luís Correia

also known as Macapá, Ponta do Anel

Part of Barra Grande →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

lagoonbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Jul–Jan

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-30 kt

Character: trade

Room to launch

broad sandy areas at lower tide; launch space changes with tide and sandbanks

no access rules on record

Water

flat tidal lagoon, sandbanks and calm open beach

28 °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

60 min

Parnaíba (PHB)

On the clock

11:00 · 12:00

around 11:00-12:00, strengthening and becoming more constant through the day

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Barra Grande
Barrinhano page yet
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Praia do Arrombadono page yet
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Pedra do Salno page yet

The spot

Praia de Macapá is a fishing village at Ponta do Anel in Piauí, on the bar of the Rio Camurupim between Barra Grande and Luís Correia.

Wind & Seasons

The trade winds blow E to ESE from July to January at 15-30 knots, strongest October to December; they fill in around 11:00-12:00 and get steadier through the afternoon, and the rainy off-season, roughly January to April, is the time to avoid.

Tides & Water

The tide runs the spot. Low tide exposes broad sandbanks and natural pools, high tide fills the lagoon with calm flat water, and the launch moves with it day to day, so the beginners, freestyle and freeride riders who come for shallow flat water check the table first.

Downwind Routes

The same coast is the downwind route toward Maramar, Luís Correia, Pedra do Sal, the Parnaíba Delta and Atins. Macapá has schools and pousadas but nothing like the structure of the big Ceará kite towns, and no official rescue is on record, so a one-way session needs a car or a guide waiting at the far end.

Hazards

The bar pulls a current, and the sandbanks shift with it.

The wind

locals call it trade winds

Direction

cross-onE to ESE

Direction to shore

cross-on at the main beach, with the angle changing as you move along the bar; straight onshore is also quoted, so read the sandbank you are launching from rather than the label.

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

9-12 m is the high-season quiver, sized up with rider weight.Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, since no local size chart is published: 12 m for the 15-18 kt days at the edges of the season, 9 m as the everyday kite once it is properly on at 20-25 kt, and 7 m for the strongest October-December afternoons when it pushes past 30 kt.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

15-30

Typical strength

15-30 kt through the season, with the strongest high-season days quoted as far as about 35 kt. A narrower 18-25 kt is the range given for the core months.

Steady once it is in; lighter and less settled early in the day and at the start of the season.

Main wind season is July to January, with stronger winds often October to December; the rainier off-season around January to April is best avoided.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month71
Feb65
Mar33
Apr28
May40
Jun58
Jul, riders' month90
Aug, riders' month97
Sep, riders' month100
Oct, riders' month99
Nov, riders' month99
Dec, riders' month97

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.

12 ktJan29°
12 ktFeb29°
10 ktMar30°
10 ktApr30°
11 ktMay30°
11 ktJun30°
13 ktJul29°
15 ktAug28°
17 ktSep28°
18 ktOct28°
16 ktNov29°
16 ktDec29°

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

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2020-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	71%	12.3 kt	ENE	27.1 °C	29.3 °C
Feb	65%	11.8 kt	ENE	26.8 °C	29.4 °C
Mar	33%	10 kt	E	26.3 °C	29.7 °C
Apr	28%	9.7 kt	E	26.6 °C	30.4 °C
May	40%	10.5 kt	E	27.2 °C	30.3 °C
Jun	58%	11.3 kt	E	27.3 °C	29.6 °C
Jul	90%	13.1 kt	E	27.5 °C	28.7 °C
Aug	97%	15 kt	E	27.6 °C	28.3 °C
Sep	100%	17.2 kt	ENE	27.7 °C	28.1 °C
Oct	99%	17.5 kt	ENE	27.8 °C	28.4 °C
Nov	99%	16 kt	ENE	27.9 °C	28.6 °C
Dec	97%	15.6 kt	ENE	28 °C	29 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2020-2024

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

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 · 2020-2024

The water

Type

flat tidal lagoon, sandbanks and calm open beach

Standing depth

You can stand across much of the lagoon and the sandbank flats at both tide stages. Whole zones drain at low water while the channels stay deep enough to swim, and the water is shallow and calm enough that many riders here skip a flotation vest.

Tides

Large tidal range changes the spot daily: low tide exposes broad sandbanks and turns the river mouth into a mirror-flat basin between natural pools; high tide fills the beach and lagoon with calm open water. Channels remain navigable at low tide. Check the table before choosing a launch, because pools, channels and beach space all move with it.

Temperature

28 °C summer · 27 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 28–30 °C

Wetsuit

boardshorts or rash vest year-round

Currents

Current at the Rio Camurupim bar; the sandbanks shift with wind and current.

Conditions

The spot sits where the Atlantic meets the Rio Camurupim, so sandbanks, channels and the rideable area change with tide and river-mouth sediment movement.

boardshorts or rash vest year-round

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Calm, shallow water for learning, and the same tide-and-sandbank system works for freeride, freestyle, big air and downwind routes. Beginners should ride with a school: tide, river current and the long way back from a remote sandbank complicate self-rescue.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreeridedownwindfreestylebig air

Small quiet fishing village; kite tourism is growing, services are still modest.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: broad sandy areas at lower tide; launch space changes with tide and sandbanks

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No official rescue service operates at Praia de Macapá. The schools on the beach are the fallback, and a downwinder needs its own land support arranged before you leave.

Launch

Launch from the main beach at Ponta do Anel/Praia de Macapá beside the lagoon and Rio Camurupim mouth.

Hazards riders report 11 reported

Wind

strong onshore/maral wind on some days

Bottom

reef/rocks near Maramar on longer downwinds toward Luís Correia
reef about 3 km past Maramar on the run toward Praia do Arrombado

Waves and currents

large tidal range and changing sandbanks
current at the Rio Camurupim bar
very shallow areas at low tide

Other

remote delta location, limited services
soft sand access where inappropriate vehicles can get stuck
little formal downwind or rescue support compared with the bigger Ceará spots
mangrove mosquitoes; repellent is standard kit here
sandy access tracks that need a 4x4 in the rainy season

Rules & access

1 min read

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 ~14km downwinder from Barra Grande to Macapá; it is the standard one-way here.
The next leg runs Macapá to Praia do Arrombado near Luís Correia past Praia de Maramar; get land support or a local guide and stay off the reef and rocks at the end of Maramar.
Check the tide table before you pick a launch: pools, channels and beach space all move with it.
Beginners, take lessons at the start of the wind window around 11:00-12:00; it builds through the afternoon.
Do not take a normal car onto the sandy access tracks when it is wet; use a proper vehicle or a local transfer.
By kite Barra Grande is 4 km and a 10-minute reach; by road it is about 1 hour around the Rio Camurupim delta, so plan the pickup.

Getting there

Airport

Parnaíba (PHB) is the nearest airport; larger alternatives are Teresina (THE), Fortaleza (FOR) and São Luís (SLZ)

Route

Praia de Macapá is reached by road via Luís Correia/Ponta do Anel:about 1 hour from Parnaíba,about 5 hours/375 km from Teresina,about 6 hours/450 km from Fortaleza, andabout 7 hours from São Luís.Barra Grande is about 4 km downwind, roughly a 10-minute reach by kite, but the road route between them takes around 1 hour by car because it detours around the Rio Camurupim delta.

Transfer

60 min

Cost level

low to medium

Staying

Small pousadas, kite pousadas, bungalows and simple rental houses: Brisamares, 35 Knots, BeeKite Village, plus local bungalows. Less luxury and less structure than the big Ceará kite towns.

No-wind days

Lagoa do Sobradinho, Delta do Parnaíba boat trips, revoada dos guarás tours, Barra Grande day trip, beach walks and local restaurants.

Photos

FAQ

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

The main season runs from July to January, with stronger wind commonly from October to December.

Is Praia de Macapa suitable for beginners?

Yes, the shallow, calm water is repeatedly described as suitable for learning, though beginners are advised to use school support given the tide and river current.

What is the wind like?

It is a trade wind of roughly 15-30 knots that strengthens and becomes steadier through the day from around late morning.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Macapa Kite School, Amazonia Kite Club and BeeKite / Kitesurf Brasil.

The bigger pictureEverything about Barra Grande

Last updated: August 2026