Praia de Itaúna:
While swarms of cariocas head off to the upscale quaintness of the hip town of Buzios, it is odd — and fortunate for the traveler — that most local surfers tend to skip past the small town of Saquarema on the way. Saquarema is often said to have the best surf in Brazil, but that rumor may have more to do with it holding a historical place in Brazilian surfing history. It was here in the ’60s and ’70s that many contests were held, and it was one of the first places that Rio surfers started to visit as they explored outside of the city.
The stretch of beach west of the old church is the Praia da Itauna (Itauna Beach). A channel runs out of the natural lagoon on the west end, and the east end has a rock shelf that captures the sand flow and builds up banks that can be very, very good. Unlike much of Rio surf, the sandbars can hold big swells and hold shape. The wave is generally a long left with hollow sections, but on certain swells it can break right as well. The jetty at the west end can be good too.
All in all, a great town for the traveling surfer to hang out, as the weekday crowds are mellow and the surf can be great.
Praia da Vila:
If you’ve seen photos of guys charging big rights with a rocky headland in the back and thought to yourself, “Damn, that looks like a pretty good wave for Brazil,” well, most likely it was a shot of Praia da Vila. Most of the sand-bottom beaches in this region of Brazil tend to close out when the surf gets bigger. Floripa’s Joaquina is an exception, as is the pointbreak of Silveira. Praia da Vila is another of the premier big-wave spots in the region, and probably the most consistent big-wave spot in the country, handling double-overhead surf and holding shape…and bigger days are not unheard of.
A long stretch of beach with two small islands offshore, the sandbars build up into peaks offering rights and lefts that can be hollow and pack a punch. The beach draws in swells and can hold big surf — it’s one of the few places where you can score double-overhead surf holding shape, and it can be epic when conditions come together.
There are three general surf areas: In summer there can be a long left off the north island, working from 3 to 6-plus feet. Between the two islands there can be rights and lefts on the hard sand-bottom bars, working from 2 to 8 feet. But when the big winter swells come from the south, the Sunset-like outside peak is the place to be.