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Ipanema Beach Rio
Castelinho. Photo: Cesvieira, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Castelinho

Surf spot · Brazil

Is it worth the trip?

26Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 57 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
69kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Wed 4 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 shollow
Energy
18kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 shollow
Energy
19kJ
Wind
NNW 8 kn
Temp
36°C

Fri 6 · 36 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 smushy
Energy
19kJ
Wind
SW 5 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 17 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 shollow
Energy
16kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
30°C

Sun 8 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
98kJ
Wind
SW 18 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 12 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
131kJ
Wind
S 8 kn
Temp
23°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 262, good
  2. Tue 357, fair
  3. Wed 413, too small
  4. Thu 513, too small
  5. Fri 636, too small
  6. Sat 717, too small
  7. Sun 89, poor
  8. Mon 912, poor
  9. Tue 1063, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Mar–Apr4 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Castelinho does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Castelinho, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov62, good4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)63kJwind from the east, 2 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov57, fair3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore29°C
Wed 4Nov13, too small1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots28°C
Thu 5Nov13, too small1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore36°C
Fri 6Nov36, too small3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov17, too small2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots30°C
Sun 8Nov9, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)98kJwind from the south-west, 18 knots24°C
Mon 9Nov12, poor4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)131kJwind from the south, 8 knots23°C
Tue 10Nov63, good4 ft6 shollow5 ft at break (est.)97kJwind from the east, 4 knots23°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovLow 03:01 −0.3 mHigh 11:30 +0.3 mLow 16:19 +0.0 mHigh 20:58 +0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:21 −0.4 mHigh 12:11 +0.3 mLow 17:11 −0.1 mHigh 23:10 +0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:21 −0.4 mHigh 12:40 +0.3 mLow 17:48 −0.2 mHigh 23:58 +0.3 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Castelinho

Praia de Ipanema - RJ 5
Photo: Mayra Pavanello Munerato, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ipanema Beach Scene - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil - 03
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Praia de Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, maio de 2025 (6)
Photo: Fronteira, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Castelinho

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (173°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (353°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March and April, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, October and December, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rio de Janeiro, 5.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 2 kayak spots.

Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,010–US$1,950 each

about US$1,010–US$1,950 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GIG, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$569–US$1,180
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$33–US$60
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$174–US$295
Food7 days eating outabout US$161–US$295
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$121
Totalabout US$1,010–US$1,950

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Rio de Janeiro

Closest

Rio de Janeiro

about 10 min by car · 92 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 92 places to stay in Rio de Janeiro · Booking.com

About Rio de Janeiro its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 19h 15m

About 19h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → GIG, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 35 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.