Surfing in Rio Grande do Norte

In the seventies the big thrill for surfers was hunting out new, exciting waves. Imagine, then, how veterans from Natal, Recife, Rio and São Paulo felt when they discovered Pipa in the late seventies when it was still a quiet fishing village surrounded by virgin forest and deserted beaches.

In those days anyone who wanted to enjoy the delights of this lovely spot had to walk all the way from Tibau do Sul! Once in Pipa no hotel awaited them but plenty of hospitality at dona* Eunice, dona Maurina and Dedo’s place. Great fun for the surfing crew – they weren’t interested in things of monetary value – what counted for them was the tranquility and beauty of the place and the waves of up to 8 feet to be found at Sororoca, Abacateiro and Lajão (some of the principal local surf points).

This was just the beginning because from then onwards Pipa became THE place to surf in the Northeast. These days surfers have the pick of no less than 15 points from where to show off their incredible manoeuvres