The Best Calm Water Beaches in Florianopolis

Florianopolis is an island of two seas. Its eastern and southern shores face the open Atlantic and pull in the swell that makes Floripa one of the surf capitals of Brazil, all power and spray. But turn to the north and the west, where the beaches face the sheltered inland bay rather than the ocean, and the sea changes character entirely. Here the water is warm, shallow and gentle, with barely a wave to speak of, and this quiet bay side is where you come for an easy swim.

Praia da Daniela is the calmest of them all, a soft, protected strand on the northwest of the island backed by a nature reserve and mangroves, with warm, shallow water that suits small children and unhurried swimmers and stays far quieter than its neighbours. It is the gentle heart of the calm water coast, and for a couple or a family who want peace and an easy sea, it is the first choice on the whole island.

Along the north run its livelier cousins, all calm, all warm. Jurere is a wide, beautiful bay whose western end is peaceful and whose Internacional end is chic and lively, with smart beach clubs and the island's most stylish sunset dining. Canasvieiras and Ponta das Canas are family favourites with the same gentle water, though they fill with visitors from across Brazil and the region in high summer. Praia do Forte, beneath an old Portuguese fort, and Cachoeira do Bom Jesus round out the sheltered bay with more of the same soft, swimmable sea.

So the honest advice is simple, stay north on the bay for calm water and save the ocean side for when you want the drama of the surf. Come in the southern summer from December to March for the warmest sea, or in the quieter shoulder months for the same gentle water with far more room on the sand. Conditions are typical rather than guaranteed and there is no promise of safety, so watch children closely and check for flags and lifeguards on the day. We have ranked the six calmest beaches below, the gentlest first.

The honest read is that Florianopolis divides cleanly, and knowing which side you are on saves the day. The ocean beaches on the east and south are gorgeous but they are surf beaches, with real waves and currents that make for thrilling boards and tiring swims, not gentle paddling. The calm water lives on the sheltered north bay, and if an easy swim is what you want, that is where you should point the car and stay.

Among the calm beaches, the trade off is peace against buzz. Praia da Daniela gives you the gentlest, quietest water and a natural, unhurried setting, the pick for a slow day or a family with small children. Jurere gives you calm sea and, at its Internacional end, the island's most stylish beach clubs and sunset dining, wonderful for a couple who want a lively evening after a lazy swim. Canasvieiras, Ponta das Canas and Cachoeira do Bom Jesus share the same warm bay but heave in high summer, so their calm is best enjoyed out of the peak.

Timing is really about warmth and crowds rather than waves, since the bay stays calm most of the year. The southern summer from December to March brings the warmest sea and the busiest, priciest sand, while the shoulder months of late spring and early autumn give you the same gentle water with far more room. Conditions are typical rather than guaranteed and we make no promise of safety, so watch children closely, check for flags and lifeguards on the day, and let the quiet bay do what it does best.

The calm water and the beach club scene meet at Jurere Internacional, the island's chic north bay address, where the smartest clubs line the gentle sand and the sunset dining is the best on Floripa. It is the natural pairing, a lazy calm water swim by day and a stylish table or a daybed for two after, and our directory keeps the live list of who is open and where. Operators, hours and any minimum spend shift with the season here, so tell us your dates and the kind of day you want and we pass the enquiry on to confirm.