Forte de Copacabana
Surf spot · Brazil
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- WSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- SW 19 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 125, too small
- Mon 250, fair
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 526, too small
- Fri 613, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 87, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 1045, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Dec–Feb2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 50, fair | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | wind from the south-west, 19 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 406kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 325kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 1 knot | 22°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:26 −0.3 mHigh 10:20 +0.2 mLow 14:56 +0.1 mHigh 18:12 +0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:02 −0.3 mHigh 11:29 +0.3 mLow 16:19 +0.0 mHigh 21:05 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:21 −0.4 mHigh 12:10 +0.3 mLow 17:11 −0.1 mHigh 23:10 +0.2 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.
Best time to go
best Dec–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Forte de Copacabana on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Baixio 0.2 km away
- Posto 5 - Copacabana 0.3 km away
- Posto 6 0.3 km away
- Shore break expresso escorpiao 0.4 km away
- Praia do Diabo 0.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Forte de Copacabana
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (112°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (292°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). 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 beginners the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 2 good days in 7; in September and October, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rio de Janeiro, 5.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots and 2 wind sports 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to GIG, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$569–US$1,180 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$174–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$161–US$295 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$121 |
| Total | about 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
9 min by car · 92 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
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
Flights MDW → GIG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.