Praia Brava (Florianópolis)

The north island's power wave — a compact, steeply-shelving beach that focuses E/SE swell into fast, sand-bottom peaks that barrel when the banks are right. Brava is the closest thing the north of the island has to Joaquina's punch, and it draws a correspondingly good local crew. Its swell window is more forgiving than the south of the island's, so it can be surfable when the winter groundswell has faded, but it is busy through the southern summer when the surrounding neighbourhood fills with holidaymakers.