Cardosão Jaguaruna

Cardoso Beach is in the Santa Marta Lighthouse area, one of the most traditional big-wave destinations on the south coast of Santa Catarina, with almost two kilometers of sand facing the open sea. The bottom is sand and the beach gets waves all year, but what really stands out are the big waves, averaging between 3 and 5 meters with peaks that have hit 10 meters, mainly in the center and at the right end, especially between April and August.

The spot is part of the Santa Catarina Big Surf Route and sits very close to the legendary Laje da Jagua, a rock formation a few kilometers off the coast that has produced waves of up to 14 meters and ranks among the ten biggest in the world, a haunt of big riders who practice tow-in pulled by jet ski. The beach hosts stops of the Brazilian Big Wave Surfing Championship, which draws plenty of people during the competition window. Only go in the water on big days if you have experience and proper equipment, since the current grows with the size of the wave.