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

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

Tibau do Sul - Malembá

also known as Lagoa de Guaraíras, Urtigas Reef, Malembá, Praia de Malembá, Guaraíras, Tibau do Sul

lagoonbeginner-friendlymedium 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 Praia de Cacimbinhas 3 km · Praia do Amor 9 km · Barra do Cunhaú 16 km · Pirangi 24 km · straight-line distance

SeasonAug to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25 ktmixed Launchbig sandy beach around the ocean/river-mouth side; lagoon launch details only partly on recordaccess rules on record, below Waterlagoon, river mouth and ocean beach break28°C in summer · 10 things riders flag LevelBeginner 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.

Two rides share one name on the south coast of Rio Grande do Norte. Inside Lagoa de Guaraíras, on the Malembá side, the water is extra flat and that is where learners and intermediates go; at the mouth, where the lagoon empties into the sea, waves break over sandbanks that move, and the riding there is for people who already handle current and chop.

Tibau do Sul proper, the stretch listed as Urtigas Reef, is open ocean and river-mouth water with small to medium waves off a big sandy beach. The wind is the southeast alísio, 15-25 kt, onshore to side-onshore.

August to October is the safe bet; the wider season runs July to December, and the trades themselves blow July to February, so a late trip is not a gamble. Malembá means the ferry from Tibau do Sul or a buggy or 4x4 along the coast from Natal, and buggies and quads drive the beach itself.

Nobody has confirmed a rescue boat on either side of the mouth. Whether tide matters at Urtigas Reef is disputed: one listing calls it tide independent, the sandbank descriptions say otherwise, so ask at the schools which way the bar is shaped this month.

The wind

locals call it alísios / trade winds

Direction

onshoreSE trades in the region

Character

mixed

Typical strength

15-25 kt.

Trade wind with a thermal on top; the July-December season has a high share of windy days month by month.

August to October is the safe window. July to December is the wider season, and the southeast trades blow July to February.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal and trade

Direction to shore

Onshore to side-onshore at Tibau do Sul.

Dominant direction

SE trades in the region; no main direction listed elsewhere.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan19
Feb42
Mar23
Apr8
May34
Jun53
Jul76
Aug, riders' month81
Sep, riders' month92
Oct, riders' month74
Nov53
Dec53

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

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

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	27.4°C	29.5°C	62
Feb	42%	70%	53%	11.9 kt	ESE	14:00	27.6°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	26.9°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	25.3°C	28°C	60
Jul	76%	85%	81%	14.2 kt	SE	13:00	24.8°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	25.5°C	27.1°C	60
Oct	74%	90%	82%	13.5 kt	ESE	13:00	26.5°C	27.9°C	62
Nov	53%	80%	60%	12.7 kt	ESE	12:00	27.1°C	28.5°C	60
Dec	53%	82%	65%	12.4 kt	ESE	12:00	27.3°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

lagoon, river mouth and ocean beach break

Standing depth

likely in lagoon shallows, but the exact standing-depth area is unconfirmed

Tides

Urtigas Reef is often called tide independent. The lagoon mouth, the sandbanks and the ferry channel are not: they change shape and current with every tide, so check both before you go out.

Temperature

28°C summer · 27°C winter

Wetsuit

shorts or rash vest year-round

Currents

Expect current in the lagoon mouth and the ferry channel; nobody has measured it.

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

The lagoon area suits beginners/intermediates, with waves breaking on sandbanks at the exit to the sea. Tibau do Sul/Urtigas Reef is ocean and river-mouth water with chop and small to medium waves. The lagoon itself is extra-flat, with a more advanced lagoon mouth.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Learners and intermediates stay in the flat lagoon; the mouth, with its waves and moving sandbanks, is for riders who already handle current.

The scene

What riders come here for

learningflat watersmall wavesdownwindfreeridewarm water

Malembá is quiet, dune-backed and has no beach bars; Tibau do Sul and Pipa have the pousadas, the buggy tours and the crowd.

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: big sandy beach around the ocean/river-mouth side; lagoon launch details only partly on record

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Praia de Cacimbinhas, 3 km

Praia de Cacimbinhas 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 rescue service confirmed.

Launch

Launch around the lagoon and the mouth at Tibau do Sul and Malembá, on Lagoa de Guaraíras. Malembá itself is reached by ferry from Tibau do Sul, or along the coast from Natal by buggy or 4x4.

Space

big sandy beach around the ocean/river-mouth side; lagoon launch details only partly on record

Rules & access

2026: no kite-specific rule at Tibau do Sul or Urtigas Reef, and nothing municipal was found.

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

Rider tips

Ask the school in Tibau do Sul which stretch of the lagoon is working on today's tide before you rig; the lesson area moves with the sandbanks.
Ride the lagoon and the mouth as two spots: flat inside, waves and current at the bar. Cross to the bar only if you can self-rescue in a channel.
Sort the ferry times, or a buggy or 4x4 from Natal, the evening before a Malembá session; there is no beach bar on that side to wait in.
Rig well away from the buggy and quad tracks on Malembá beach and off the ferry line.

Getting there

Airport

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

Route

From Natal take BR-101 to Goianinha and turn off for Tibau do Sul and Pipa; Natal is 80 km from Pipa and the airport 94 km from the resort area. Malembá is across Lagoa de Guaraíras by ferry from Tibau do Sul, or along the coast from Natal by buggy or 4x4.

Transfer

90 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Stay in Tibau do Sul or Pipa; Malembá is an open beach with no beach bars.

No-wind days

The boat across Lagoa de Guaraíras, the Pipa beaches, the dunes by buggy or quad, sandboard and esqui-bunda, surf on the Pipa-area beaches, and Pipa nightlife.

Photos

Lagoa das Guaraíras (7922418796) — Rafael Vianna Croffi from São Paulo, Brazil, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Tibau do Sul - Malembá?

The most conservative window is August to October, though other sources extend usable wind from July through December.

Is Tibau do Sul - Malembá suitable for beginners?

The lagoon section is documented as beginner and intermediate friendly, while the mouth's waves and sandbanks are better reserved for experienced riders.

What is the water like?

Lagoon water is described as extra flat, while waves break over sandbanks at the exit to the sea near the mouth.

How do you get to Malembá?

It is reached by ferry from Tibau do Sul across Lagoa de Guaraíras, or by coast/buggy/4x4 from Natal.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Pipa Kite Center and KiteMaster.

Last updated: August 2026