Brazil — Paracuru21h · 10 kt
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Min. level
Intermediate
Optimal wind
14-32 kts
Season
July to December
Live · now
What to check
Discover the spot
The spot
Discover Brazil
An hour and a half west of Fortaleza, Paracuru is the first real stop on the long downwind run to Jericoacoara. The Quebra Mar spot lives and dies by the tide: at low water a reef pens in a mirror-flat lagoon; as the tide fills, that same reef wakes up into rideable wave sections. The trade wind sits side-onshore and always brings you back to the beach — one spot with two faces in a single day.
Paracuru runs on kite and downwind culture. The beach is wide, the mood easy-going, and the town fills up in high season as riders link runs down from Taíba, some twenty kilometres upwind. On busy days the neighbouring Catavento spot, a few kilometres along, offers a quieter alternative. Downwind the coast road carries on toward Lagoinha: Paracuru is never more than a stage on the great run to Jericoacoara.
Who & when
Level and best time
Who it's for
A spot you read by the tide. At low water the flat lagoon behind the reef opens a window of about four hours — a forgiving place to build skills. But the drying reef, the waves that come up with the tide and the timing you have to respect make it one for riders already comfortable on the water, rather than a first-lesson beach. Confident beginner at low tide; intermediate the rest of the day.
source : kitetrip-planner.com ↗Best time
Wind season runs July to January, most reliable September to December. On the water it all revolves around low tide: reckon on roughly two hours either side for the flat lagoon. The trade blows east to south-east, side-onshore, 15 to 25 knots in the heart of the season.
source : kiteguide.com ↗Before you go
Safety
The reef at low tide
The reef dries at low tide: sharp sections and shallows to scout before you ride and to steer clear of if you go down.
source : kiteguide.com ↗Fishermen downwind
Downwind you'll find fishermen's poles and nets, clearly visible at low tide: keep height and margin so you don't drift onto them.
source : buscokite.com ↗