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Santa Catarina · Florianopolis · Campeche, Florianopolis

Riozinho do Campeche

also known as Campeche, Praia do Campeche, Novo Campeche

advanced onlyhigh 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 Lagoa da Conceicao 13 km · Passagem do Maciambu 21 km · Praia da Daniela 26 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy14-25 ktmixed LaunchWide beach, but usable space changes with the summer crowd, the surf and which access you pick. There are several possible base points; the Quiosque do Badejo area between the main entrance and Riozinho is one.access rules on record, below Watersea25.3°C in summer · 11 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airport20 minLuz International Airport (FLN)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Riozinho is the kitewave end of Praia do Campeche, an exposed Atlantic beach on the south-east side of Florianopolis with shorebreak on entry and exit. It works best on S/SE days: the wind is sideshore at Riozinho and the swell lines up, so that is where you go when the Suli blows.

On N/NE you move to an east-facing beach such as Novo Campeche. NE runs 14-25 kt through spring and summer; the S/SSE frontal winds of fall and winter come in at 14-35 kt and drag the air temperature down with them. Water is 25.3 C in summer and 18.4 C in winter, so a 3/2 comes out on cold-front days.

Summer is beach-busy. After Carnaval through May you get the wind, still-warm water and far fewer people. The dunes and restinga behind the beach are a protected park; rig on the sand, not in the vegetation.

The wind

locals call it Suli for the south frontal wind; Lestada for rainy east wind

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

Typical strength

14-25 kt NE in spring/summer and 14-35 kt S/SSE in fall/winter. 12-18 kt is a comfortable learning range on paper, but there are waves at entry and exit.

Good for kitewave when wind direction and swell align; east/Lestada winds are regionally rainier and less constant.

Riozinho is the S/SE kitewave choice because waves and sideshore wind line up there. Post-Carnaval to May has strong wind, comfortable temperatures and fewer mass tourists; the other favoured window is January and September-December.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal summer northeast plus synoptic cold fronts

The quiver, in words

12 m and 9 m for most intermediate riders, 7-9 m or 10 m for lighter riders; stronger S/SSE days need smaller.

Direction to shore

The beach faces east-southeast and NW is the offshore direction. S/SE runs side-shore to side-onshore at Riozinho, which is why wind and swell line up there; N/NE arrives side-onshore at the more east-facing Novo Campeche end. Offshore days are the ones to leave alone on an open ocean beach.

Dominant direction

N, NNE, NE and SE, SSE, S; NE more common in spring/summer and S/SSE more common in fall/winter

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month58
Feb, riders' month42
Mar, riders' month52
Apr, riders' month58
May52
Jun64
Jul62
Aug72
Sep, riders' month78
Oct, riders' month66
Nov, riders' month69
Dec, riders' month63

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

12Jan26°
11Feb27°
12Mar26°
12Apr24°
12May23°
12Jun21°
13Jul18°
14Aug18°
14Sep20°
13Oct21°
13Nov23°
13Dec25°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	58%	11.9 kt	N	24.8°C	26.2°C
Feb	42%	10.6 kt	S	25°C	26.8°C
Mar	52%	11.7 kt	N	24.5°C	26°C
Apr	58%	12 kt	S	22.1°C	23.5°C
May	52%	11.5 kt	NNW	19.5°C	22.5°C
Jun	64%	12.4 kt	NNW	17.8°C	20.5°C
Jul	62%	12.6 kt	NNW	16.9°C	17.9°C
Aug	72%	13.6 kt	N	17.1°C	18.4°C
Sep	78%	14.2 kt	N	18.9°C	19.9°C
Oct	66%	13.3 kt	S	20.1°C	21°C
Nov	69%	13.1 kt	S	21.6°C	23.2°C
Dec	63%	12.8 kt	NNE	23.4°C	24.5°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

sea

Tides

Kite conditions at Campeche do not depend on tide; no tide hazard has been documented.

Temperature

25.3°C summer · 18.4°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or light top in summer; spring suit or 3/2 mm wetsuit in winter and on cold-front days.

Currents

Strong rips run through the surf zone, and current is what riders are warned about alongside swimmers. No rip pattern has been mapped. Choose your landing before you launch: being swept down the beach and having to come in through shorebreak is the realistic failure here.

18–27°C water

Open Atlantic beach with exposed waves and shorebreak. Praia do Campeche is an ocean beach with strong waves and cold water, and the Riozinho/Campeche sector is used by wave riders.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

A wave and open-sea spot. You want open-sea experience before you come, and the entry and exit go through waves.

The scene

What riders come here for

kitewavesurfboarddownwindfreeride in waves

Urban beach with a local kitewave scene. Summer is beach-busy; after Carnaval through May the mass tourists are gone.

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: Wide beach, but usable space changes with the summer crowd, the surf and which access you pick. There are several possible base points; the Quiosque do Badejo area between the main entrance and Riozinho is one.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Lagoa da Conceicao, 13 km

Lagoa da Conceicao Passagem do Maciambu Praia da Daniela

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

Rescue

No kite-specific rescue and no boat cover; rescue does not appear among the facilities listed for this beach, unlike the showers, toilets, parking and compressed air that do.

Water emergencies go to the state fire brigade on 193, which also runs the beach lifeguard service and its civil volunteer scheme, and which can be reached at 193.cbm.sc.gov.br when you have no phone signal. Whether the Riozinho stretch has a staffed lifeguard post outside the summer season is unconfirmed.

Launch

Open sandy beach launch along Praia do Campeche, clear soft sand with room to lay out lines, around the Riozinho/Point do Riozinho and Novo Campeche sectors. In peak season the launch moves beyond the small river the sector is named after, to get clear of the crowd on the main stretch.

Space

Wide beach, but usable space changes with the summer crowd, the surf and which access you pick. There are several possible base points; the Quiosque do Badejo area between the main entrance and Riozinho is one.

Rules & access

1985 Decreto Municipal no. 112/85 protects the Campeche dunes/restinga, later folded in 2018 into Parque Natural Municipal das Dunas da Lagoa da Conceicao under Lei Municipal no. 10.388/2018; kitesurf is listed among the activities practiced on the beach and no kite-specific navigation or launch-zone restriction was found.

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

Rider tips

Pick Riozinho on S/SE days, when the wind is sideshore and the swell is manageable; on N/NE go to Novo Campeche instead.
The 12-18 kt learning range you will see quoted for Campeche is not a beginner invitation: waves on entry and exit make this intermediate-plus.
Quiosque do Badejo, between the main entrance and Riozinho, is one of the usual base points; there are several.
Pack 12 m and 9 m if you are an average intermediate, 7-9 m or 10 m if you are light, and something smaller for a strong S/SSE front.
After Carnaval through May is the quieter window: wind still strong, water still warm, summer crowd gone.
Read the surf size and period as carefully as the wind strength.
In high season, walk past the little river before you rig; that is where the launch moves to when the beach fills up.
Save 193 in your phone. That is the fire brigade, it is the number for a water emergency, and there is no kite rescue on this beach.

Getting there

Airport

Florianopolis Hercilio Luz International Airport (FLN)

Route

Campeche is on the south/east side of Ilha de Santa Catarina, accessed by SC-405 and Avenida Pequeno Principe; rideshare, rental car or local school transport are practical.

Transfer

20 min

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Guesthouses, apartments and pousadas in Campeche and Novo Campeche; Pousada Vila Tamarindo is one local option.

No-wind days

Surf at Campeche/Joaquina, visit Ilha do Campeche by authorized boat tours, Lagoinha Pequena/Lagoinha da Chica walks, restaurants and beaches around southern Florianopolis.

Photos

Próximo a Praia do Campeche - panoramio — Jeferson Felix, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Riozinho do Campeche?

South to southeast frontal wind blows around 14 to 35 knots in fall and winter, while northeast wind of 14 to 25 knots is more common in spring and summer.

Is Riozinho do Campeche suitable for beginners?

No, it is an open-sea wave spot recommended for intermediate and advanced riders with surf experience.

What is the water like?

It is an exposed Atlantic beach with waves and shorebreak, warmest in summer and notably cooler in winter.

What are the hazards?

Shorebreak, open-ocean waves and currents, plus a crowded beach in summer and protected dune areas nearby.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Gokite and Mané Kite School & Friends.

Last updated: August 2026