Kitesurfing, windsurfing and wingfoil — Brazil's wind scene

Northeast: where the season is

The wind season is July–December, analysis in Active recreation — park access, seasons, mandatory guides and fees (in Russian) and When and where to go — "month × region" matrix (in Russian). Main spots:

• Ceará — Cumbuco, Preá, Icaraí; from here “downwinds” also run along the coast;
• Jericoacoara — the most famous spot, a combination of dunes, lagoons and the ocean;
• Atins on the edge of Lençóis Maranhenses — a separate scene, see Guide — Lençóis Maranhenses (in Russian);
• Rio Grande do Norte — a continuation of the same coastline.

Logistics and the urban context — Guide — Fortaleza and Jericoacoara (in Russian).

Santa Catarina and Floripa

The character of the scene is different: the wind is seasonal and less predictable, but it is close to home.

Lagoa da Conceição on the island is a closed lagoon with flat water and space for maneuver. Schools, instructors and rental outfits are therefore concentrated here: for first lessons flat water is safer than the ocean.

Risk specific to the lagoon: it is not an empty water area. Boats and jet skis use it, and that is the main danger of the place. In practice: before going out, talk to locals about the applicable rules and about where boats are currently running.

The island's ocean beaches are used by advanced riders; for a novice they are not suitable for the same reasons as for surfing — see Water and drownings — rip currents, beach flags, what to do.

Why kitesurfing should be learned only with a school

Unlike surfing, where a novice mainly risks themselves and while in the water, the dangerous phase for kite is the shore and the launch:

• the canopy pulls up and to the side, and if you make a mistake it drags you along the ground or throws you onto an obstacle;
• the lines injure bystanders, not just the owner;
• tangled lines and an incorrectly assembled system are the most frequent cause of incidents;
• on a crowded beach a kite hits people, umbrellas and wires.

From this come practical rules common to all schools: keep the launch area clear, do not launch in a crowd, do not go out in offshore wind without someone accompanying you, know the quick-release system and be able to use it.

If you want to compete

Kite in Brazil is run under sailing disciplines, not as a separate sport, and an entry for an official start is submitted in advance through the state's sporting structure — in Santa Catarina it is based in Itajaí, it has no public website, contact is via social networks. For regular riding this changes nothing: come to the station and ride.

What the law says about zones and limits

There is no direct act specifically about kitesurfing, but there is the municipal law of Florianópolis 4.601/1995, which regulates amateur activity on the water and explicitly names windsurfing:

• a surfboard and windsurfing board — embarcação miúda, and it is exempt from simplified registration at the port captaincy (art. 3);
• limits of navigation from the surf line: for movement by oars and sail — from 100 meters, for motorized, towed parachutes and ultralights — from 200 meters (art. 5);
• motorized craft up to 5 meters, conversely, are registered at the port captaincy (art. 4).

Kitesurfing is not in this law — it was written in 1995, before the discipline appeared, and the windsurfing provisions are not automatically transferred to kite. Navigation in the waters remains with the port captains.

Separately and importantly for the island: the same law closes surfing from 1 May to 10 July on all beaches, except six sections — the tainha fishing season, analysis in Where to surf in Florianópolis and Santa Catarina — spots by name and where there are lifeguards. Whether the ban applies to kitesurfing is not apparent from the text.

Schools: the international registry does not cover Santa Catarina

Kite has international certifying organizations, and IKO maintains a public registry of affiliated centers. Check 3 Nov 2026: the registry map shows 193 centers worldwide, 9 of them in Brazil — and all in the Northeast: Cumbuco, Paracuru, Lagoinha, Preá, Jericoacoara, Tatajuba, Itarema, Macapá in Piauí.

There are no affiliated centers in Santa Catarina, nor are there state spots in the registry's spot list — from Brazil it only lists the Northeast, and south of Rio nothing.

This must be read carefully: absence in the registry does not mean absence of schools — there are no fewer than 7 on the island. It means one thing: SC stations do not go through IKO, and you cannot check them against a mandatory list. Addresses and phone numbers of the stations themselves are collected from the city directory and their own pages — Kite stations and schools in Florianópolis — addresses and phone numbers (in Russian).

Sources

1. T1Corpo de Bombeiros Santa Catarina — water risks, flags and rescue operationscbm.sc.gov.br · primary source
2. T2Florianópolis city guide — kitesurfing on the island: Lagoa da Conceição as a training site, schools and rentalen.guiafloripa.com.br · secondary source
3. T1Confederação Brasileira de Vela (CBVela) — runs kitesurf, windsurf, wingsurf and IQFoil; 13 state federations, in Santa Catarina Federação Náutica Catarinensecbvela.org.br · primary source
4. T1Prefeitura de Florianópolis municipal law 4.601/1995 — windsurf board as embarcação miúda without registration, navigation limits 100 and 200 m from the surf linesistemas.sc.gov.br · primary source
5. T1Registry of affiliated IKO centers — 193 centers on the map, 9 of them in Brazil, all in the northeast; none in Santa Catarinad8.ikointl.com · primary source

T1 — primary: law, agency site, price list. T2 — secondary: press, specialist sites. T3 — other.