Pontal de Baía Formosa
Baía Formosa · Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil · Point break
Local time — · Sunrise 04:53 · Sunset 17:16
Reading the ocean.
SWELLRADAR is requesting a verified marine run for Pontal de Baía Formosa.
Spot intelligence.
This is Baía Formosa's Pontal right, not the neighbouring Porto wave. The original Waves guide explicitly advises against beginner use because of rocks and crowded takeoffs. Intermediate is a conservative minimum for independent recommendations, not clearance for every size or section. Check the active reef, depth and lineup before paddling out.
Profile source · Waves · original national surf guide, Pontal sectionProfile sources & limits
Reviewed 23 Oct 2026 · not observation-validated
Published sources reviewed by SWELLRADAR, not validation against measured breaking waves. Swell-from and wind-from references are independent qualitative ranking inputs, not surveyed optima or complete acceptance windows. Inherited generic 0.6–3.0 m offshore-model bands remain unchanged and unvalidated: they are not measured local working ranges, safe learner limits or wave-face conversions. Original approximate map pins are retained, not surveyed takeoffs or approved entries. Explicit offshore requests do not resolve local shelter, sandbanks, reef depth, harbour structures or currents. Waves' original 2016 guide supplies E/SE swell, southerly wind, long rights, hollow sections and the beginner caution. ESE/112.5° is the coarse centre of that qualitative exposure, not a measured optimum. Its original correspondent's February 2011 account also records a northern-swell event at Pontal; a historical event is not a universal optimum or today's observation. Surf-Forecast instead favours N swell and reports SSW in its paragraph but SW in its summary. These are not averaged into an exact wind axis: directional wind scoring and opposite-swell fallback remain disabled. Its high-water preference and Waves' depth sensitivity do not establish a preferred normalized band, movement or whole-point tide quality, so tide remains unverified. Published ride lengths and wave sizes are not a face conversion, safe-depth threshold or calibrated local working range.
- Waves · original national surf guide, Pontal section
Original 2016 Pontal section describes long rights with hollow sections, E/SE swell and southerly wind, rocks/crowding and an explicit beginner caution; tide changes reef depth, not a quantified preferred band
- Surf-Forecast · original Pontal (Baia Formosa) guide
Original reef/point guide corroborates the right and rock/crowd hazards but favours N swell and differs internally between SSW and SW wind; its high-water claim is not promoted to a tide bonus
- Waves · original Baía Formosa correspondent report, February 2011
Rodrigão Minghelli's original photographs and account distinguish Pontal rights from Porto during a northern-swell event; historical conditions are not current observations or a guaranteed optimum
Source-informed axes
Swell axis ESE · 113°
Wind axis pending · Intermediate profile
Wave
Long right · faster and hollow sections
Rock and reef point
Swell window
E–SE · qualitative point reference
0.6–3.0 m offshore ranking band
Clean wind
Southerly sector · optimum unverified
No wind-direction bonus
Tide window
Reef-depth dependent · check locally
No tide phase affects scoring
Field guide
Read the break.
Character · setup · local read
Field guide
Read the break.
Character
01Pontal de Baía Formosa is defined by long right · faster and hollow sections over rock and reef point. The shape can change with swell angle, period and the active section, so the live score should always be paired with a visual check from shore.
Best setup
02E–SE · qualitative point reference swell, southerly sector · optimum unverified and reef-depth dependent · check locally form the profile baseline. SWELLRADAR retains 0.6–3.0 m as an offshore-model ranking band, not a measured local surf limit or a breaking-wave prediction.
Lineup read
03Choose a peak that matches your experience and reassess it as tide and crowd change. Pay particular attention to rocky point and reef, heavy shared takeoff, tide-dependent rock clearance. Local signs and advice always take priority.
Know before you paddle
Live conditions and local advice always override this profile.
Optional community layerRecent surfer reportsVoluntary and potentially incomplete. Not used for the forecast or Surf Score.
The break
Point break
Intermediate. Works best with E–SE · qualitative point reference swell.
Timing
Southerly sector · optimum unverified
Reef-depth dependent · check locally. Re-check local observations and the lineup before you paddle out.
Data note
Model data unavailable
SWELLRADAR withholds numerical conditions, scores and surf windows until a quality-checked marine forecast is available.