São Miguel do Gostoso — Photo: Otávio Nogueira

A windsurfer planing along the shorebreak, kites out the back. — Photo: brunobarbato

Kites along the beach, a sand spit and dune beyond. — Photo: brunobarbato

Windsurf and kite sharing the sand. — Photo: brunobarbato

A kite against the sunset off Gostoso. — Photo: brunobarbato

Brazil

Jan · 87% rideable

São Miguel do Gostoso

What it's actually like

Wingers can still ride in July and August, when the wind can swing south and south-east, offshore in the bay. No good for kiting, fine for winging. Check the direction before you rig: wind off the land pushes you away from the beach.

Gostoso means tasty in Portuguese, and after one season here you will not argue with the name. This is a town of fishing boats and small guesthouses on the coast north of Natal. It has low houses a few streets back from the sea, and two or three kilometres of clean sand with nothing on it to hit. Slow down on the walk to the water and see what it is doing.

The trade blows from the east and south-east, from the right as you look out to sea. The further south it swings, the gustier it gets near the shore, where it comes over the flat land, and the steadier out by the reef. It starts to build around ten, fills in properly towards midday and eases off after half past four. By lunchtime on a good day the whole bay is powered up. That first reach out past the shorebreak is the rush you came for.

From August to November the wind turns up most days, and September is the month to plan around. December still blows more often than not, but the crowds arrive with Christmas and New Year. April to June is the rainy season, with fewer windy days, and March and April come out lowest of all. In July and August the wind can swing south, offshore in the bay: no good for kiting, still fine for winging.

Most riders launch at Ponta do Santo Cristo, in front of the schools. Around low tide the reef keeps the inside flat and shallow, a proper classroom. As the tide floods the flat goes and the shorebreak grows, and the sandbank and reef throw up waves of up to about two metres. That is when the confident riders head out to play.

The reef lies a few hundred metres to nearly a kilometre out, and it dries at low tide. Launching is easiest within an hour either side of low tide, with practically no shorebreak. A wind off the land is what locals call the terral, and it pushes you away from the beach, so check the direction before you rig, not just the strength.

Kite, windsurf and wing share the bay, and the crew on the sand is relaxed: windsurfers rigging next to kiters, wingers pumping up alongside. Learners stay in the flat inside at low tide. The reef waves and the high-tide shorebreak are for riders who can handle them, and if someone is already on a wave, let them have it. The water is often cloudy, so walk the beach at low tide before you ride a new line.

Dr. Wind opened on Ponta do Santo Cristo in 2006 as the town’s first windsurf school and now teaches all three sports. The Kauli Seadi Water Sports Club in Monte Alegre teaches the same three, and launches from its own beach, where the wind blows more side-shore than elsewhere in town. Gostoso Kitesurf teaches kite and wing in French, English and Portuguese, with every lesson on the radio. In the busy months, book ahead.

When the wind eases after half past four, people head down to the beach for the sunset, often with their kids and pets. From some spots you can watch the sun drop into the sea, which you do not get on most of Brazil’s coast. Rig for the mean wind, not the biggest gust, and ask on the beach before you try somewhere new.

Rules and safety. The Brazilian Navy’s NORMAM-211 rules set the area for kitesurfing at 200 m or more from the beach baseline, the line where the waves break. Those rules go further, and they recommend a sports life jacket and a helmet for kitesurfing. Ask a school where to launch and ride. Dr. Wind has a rescue boat and the Kauli Seadi club a rescue jet ski. But no cover outside school hours is confirmed, so be able to self-rescue. Around high tide a strong current runs along the beach. Plan any downwind trip with support. In December 2024 a group of 24 kitesurfers on a kite trip from Gostoso were left adrift. The wind had turned offshore, and they had to be rescued at Guamaré.

When it's good

Is it for you?

LevelOn your feet
Not a spot for absolute beginners on a wing: the window to learn is short.
WaterMillpond to head-high
Smooth inside around low tide, with reef waves of one to three metres.
LaunchMind your feet
Pump up on clean sand, but a rock reef waits further out for foils.
WetsuitBoardies
Sea about 28 °C in January: boardies weather, with a rash vest at most.
AprèsA bar or two
2 bars and 27 places to eat within 5 km: a cold one, then bed.
CostR$400 for two hours, kite rental
R$400 for two hours is the kite rate; Gostoso Kitesurf also rents wing kit.

Where to launch

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Launch
School
Stay

Ponta do Santo Cristo

Main launch for all three sports, on the sand in front of the schools.

For kite, windsurf, wing. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps
Kauli Seadi Water Sports Club

Launch in front of the Kauli Seadi Water Sports Club in Monte Alegre, along the bay from Ponta do Santo Cristo.

For kite, windsurf, wing. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps

In an emergency

Fire brigade 193
Ambulance (SAMU) 192

Getting there

Nearest airportNatal (NAT). Natal is your gateway, about 100 km by road, so budget an hour and a half to two hours before you’re on the sand.
Getting aroundRoad from Natal. Book a transfer or hire a car at the airport, then pick a guesthouse near Santo Cristo, a short walk from the beach.

Stay, learn and rent

Full details for every place are in the Pocket Guide.

Pousada Mi Secreto

Wake up next door to Dr. Wind and the point, in a guesthouse on Rua das Algas in the Santo Cristo quarter, with a pool and gardens.

Book on Booking.com

Kauli Seadi Beach Hotel

On the same property as the Kauli Seadi Water Sports Club, where lessons and kit hire are close to hand.

Book on Booking.com

Pousada Ilha do Vento

Five minutes on foot from Santo Cristo beach: rig, walk down and ride.

Book on Booking.com

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Pocket Guide