Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- SSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- WSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 236, too small
- Tue 352, fair
- Wed 440, too small
- Thu 512, too small
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 745, fair
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1048, fair
- Wed 1139, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Sep2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Picama does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 14 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:12 −0.1 mLow 04:18 −0.3 mHigh 12:57 +0.3 mLow 17:20 −0.1 mHigh 20:51 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:12 −0.4 mHigh 10:59 +0.3 mLow 11:58 +0.3 mHigh 12:58 +0.3 mLow 17:55 −0.1 mHigh 21:56 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:57 −0.5 mHigh 11:16 +0.3 mLow 18:25 −0.2 mHigh 22:47 +0.4 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 in Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Picama on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
4 places
- Praia do Bispo 1.2 km away
- Foz do Itapocu 13.3 km away
- Foz do Itapocu 15 km away
- Barrinha 20 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Picama
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (121°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (301°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 135). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Balneário Barra do Sul, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 23°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$1,050–US$2,010 each
about US$1,050–US$2,010 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to JOI, estimated from distance and season, changing at GRU, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$570–US$1,190 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| 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$1,050–US$2,010 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Balneário Barra do Sul its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Barra Velha on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 24 places to stay
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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 20h 05m
About 20h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → JOI, changing at São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → JOI on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.