Circuito Ocean — Guaratuba

Circuito Ocean — Guaratuba is an open water swimming race held in the sea at Guaratuba, on the coast of Paraná in southern Brazil. The city itself sits on a sandy peninsula facing the bay to the northwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Its main ocean beach forms an arc spanning 2,440 meters, bounded naturally by Morro de Caieiras to the north and Morro do Cristo to the south. Artificial containment walls help stabilize the shoreline against high storm tides.

Circuito Ocean Guaratuba: sea courses and the Saturday Treinão

In March, organizer PDA Esportes stages Circuito Ocean on the beach at Guaratuba as part of the largest multisport beach festival in the south of Brazil. Swimmers can choose from four distinct sea courses suited to different ambitions: a 200-meter sprint, a 750-meter test, a 1,500-meter challenge, and a 3,000-meter distance race. The festival adopts the slogan "Let the Ocean set you free," encouraging participants to immerse themselves fully in the rhythm of open sea swimming. To help athletes acclimate to the surf, the event hosts a dedicated "Treinão" on Saturday. This guided session allows swimmers to practice wave entries and tactical buoy turns before lining up on race day. In past editions, participants have enjoyed calm, manageable sea conditions that make sighting the navigation markers effortless. Swimmers often compare the feel of Guaratuba's ocean water to neighboring Santa Catarina, relishing a fast and comfortable swim in the open sea.

Guaratuba Bay: sambaqui shell mounds and the Carijó coast

When the first European navigators arrived in the 16th century, the shoreline was inhabited by the indigenous Carijó people. Even deeper traces remain in 131 documented archaeological sites known as sambaquis, massive prehistoric shell mounds built up from layers of mollusk shells, crustacean remains, and fish bones left by early coastal hunter-gatherers. The historic Caminho do Ambrósios provided Iberian settlers with an early overland trail leading from the coast into the Paraná interior. In 1765, Portuguese authorities formally ordered the permanent settlement of the Guaratuba inlet to guard the coast against Spanish occupation.

Saint-Hilaire/Lange and Boguaçu: mangroves of the Guaratuba reserve

The Guaratuba Environmental Protection Area preserves crucial mangroves and salt marshes essential to the health of the entire estuarine complex. Birdlife flourishes throughout the mangroves, wetlands, and plains of Guaratuba Environmental Protection Area, where surveys have recorded 322 different avian species. Among them is the marsh antwren, first discovered in the protected area in 1995, alongside seasonal visitors like migratory swallows, tortoises, and loons. Closer to the race area, about nine kilometres away, the 6,052-hectare Boguaçu State Park was established in 1998 within the larger Guaratuba Environmental Protection Area to safeguard restinga ecosystems and mangroves.

Morro do Cristo to Cabaraquara: oyster piers and seafront life

Guaratuba stretches across 22 kilometers of coastline, retaining the easygoing charm of an authentic fishing village where rustic wooden boats remain anchored year-round. Morro do Cristo features a hilltop Christ statue inaugurated in 1953. Climbing its 199 stairs rewards swimmers with sweeping views across the entire ocean bay and the surrounding headlands. The Caieiras artisanal fishing colony lines a sheltered one-kilometer cove of quiet water, dotted with small kiosks and beachside restaurants. In town, Praça dos Namorados serves as a bustling sunset gathering spot by the water, perfect for recovering after the race with artisanal ice creams and street food. The local cuisine centers on freshly harvested oysters, stuffed mullet, and cambira, the traditional regional dish of dried and smoked fish, offering swimmers an authentic taste of coastal Paraná after a day in the surf.