Icaraí.

About

Icaraí is the surf face of Caucaia, twenty kilometres west of Fortaleza on the same trade-wind coast as Cumbuco. Mostly sand, with reef sections — the Entulhos rocks throw an outside ledge, and the Pedra do Sal headland feeds a series of inside peaks. It is the most consistent beach break on the metropolitan stretch, the place locals point at when a clean north swell is in the forecast. The 2018 north pulse here ran six to eight foot from outside reef to inside sandbar — the kind of day that gets remembered for a decade.

The break wants north to north-east swell at 7 seconds or longer and a light south-west offshore to hold the face open. Low to mid tide for the outside reef; the inside peaks wake up as the tide drops. Trade winds run east to east-south-east and turn the lineup cross-shore by late morning. Surf-friendly months are December through April, peak March when the North Atlantic is still pumping. Outside the window, period drops below seven seconds and the bank goes mushy.

Intermediate to advanced. Strong rips run along the rock sections on a falling tide; the channel by Entulhos pulls offshore quickly and the sandbar peaks shift between every swell. Fishing boats work the channel — keep an eye uphill. Crowd is heavy on every clean set, mixed levels and surf-school traffic in the inside peaks. Outside on the reef the regulars hold the priority and the takeoff zone is small. Wear something on your feet near Entulhos.