Santa Catarina
Surf photography · Florianópolis
In short
Surf photography in Florianópolis starts at $250: 60 min on location with a photographer who works in Florianópolis, and 40 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 5 days.
Why choose surf photography in Florianópolis?
A surf session in Florianópolis is shot from the water or the rocks of an Atlantic beach on the island's east side, where swells arrive with little to stop them. The island has a dozen breaks within an hour of each other, and the choice is usually made the night before from the forecast. For ten weeks a year, though, the choice is not only the ocean's: the island's artisanal mullet fishery has priority on most beaches, and a city law says where surfing goes on.
Worth knowing about Florianópolis
Lei Municipal 10.020/2016, upheld by the Santa Catarina court in March 2023, allows surfing from 1 May to 10 July only at Joaquina, Praia Mole, within 500 m of the left corner of Lagoinha do Leste, Matadeiro and Armação, and within 500 m to the right of the Moçambique entrance. On every other beach a green or red flag put up each morning by the fishing ranchos decides, so a surf session in those weeks is booked at a guaranteed break.
What does the session in Florianópolis look like?
- Joaquina
- A consistent beach break with a granite headland to shoot from, open to surfers in every season.
- Praia Mole
- Steeper waves under green hills, also open to surfing through the mullet season.
- Armação and Matadeiro corners
- The 500 m stretches from the left corner where surfing stays legal from May to July.
What does surf photography in Florianópolis include?
- 60 minutes of surf coverage at one break, from the sand, the rocks or the water
- 40 edited photos, including sequences of a full wave from take-off to exit
- Online gallery delivered within 5 days
- A forecast check the day before, with a free move to another day if the swell is flat or unsafe
- A note on which break suits your level, so the pictures show surfing rather than paddling
FAQ — Surf photography in Florianópolis
Can we book a surf photo session in Florianópolis in June?
Yes, at the right beach. During the tainha season, 1 May to 10 July, Florianópolis' Lei Municipal 10.020/2016 keeps surfing open at Joaquina and Praia Mole and on 500 m stretches of four other beaches, so a surf session in June is booked there rather than on a beach that depends on the fishermen's daily flag.
What does a red flag mean on a Florianópolis beach in winter?
Between 1 May and 10 July a red flag on a Florianópolis beach, put up by the local fishing rancho, means surfing is not allowed that day because the mullet nets may go out; a green flag means it is. Joaquina and Praia Mole are outside the flag system for the whole season.
Where does the photographer shoot a surf session in Florianópolis?
On a Florianópolis surf session the photographer works from the rocks of the headland with a long lens, or from the water with a housing when conditions allow, and the 60 minutes are set for the tide and the wind of the day, usually early morning before the onshore breeze.