Litoral Norte.

Litoral Norte de São Paulo runs from Bertioga northeast to the Rio border, the Serra do Mar pressing the road tight against the coast. São Sebastião and Ubatuba are the two surf towns; the latter has produced Brazilian champions since the 1970s. Maresias, in São Sebastião, is the headline: fast, hollow over sand, hometown break of Gabriel Medina. Itamambuca, east of Ubatuba, is the most consistent beach on the strip. Ilhabela, parked offshore, blocks east swell from the São Sebastião beaches in its lee.

Peak runs April through September, when southern Atlantic storms send long-period south to south-east swell onto the open coast. Maresias wants head-high at 10 s or longer to break hollow and fast. Summer brings warm, small east-quadrant wind swell that Ubatuba sees more of than the São Sebastião beaches behind Ilhabela. Offshore is north to north-west. The north-east trade fills in by mid-morning and crumbles the open beaches. Dawn is the play.

Water runs 20 to 22 °C in August, 25 to 27 °C in February. Boardies and a rashie cover most of the year; a 2 mm springsuit on a winter southerly. Maresias is a step up: fast, shallow at low tide, with currents that pull through the bank on size. Not the spot to learn at. Crowds are local-heavy on a working day and tourist-packed on summer weekends. On a soft or onshore day, Camburi and Juquehy along the São Sebastião strip wrap cleaner; Praia Grande in Ubatuba spreads the lineup out.