Circuito TH5 Travessia 2026 — Etapa 1 (Bertioga)

The Circuito TH5 Travessia — Etapa 1 is an open water swimming race held in the sea at Praia do Indaiá, in Bertioga on the coast of São Paulo. The setting provides a place where swimmers gather at the water's edge, reading the shoreline before wading through the shore break into the open course. Organized by TH5 Eventos, the meeting offers an extensive range of distances that accommodate both novices and seasoned marathon swimmers. Swimmers can take on an introductory sprint of 150 meters, choose intermediate courses of 700, 1200, 2200, or 2400 meters, or tackle the longest distance of 4750 meters. Wetsuits and caps dot the surfline as participants navigate the offshore turning buoys, testing their pacing over circuits that stretch from quick nearshore dashes to serious tests of endurance.

The competition forms the opening stage of the Circuito TH5 Aquathlon & Travessia calendar, inaugurating the season at Cantão do Indaiá with high-performance racing and community sports. For those planning a full racing weekend along the coast, the event can be paired on the same trip with the Travessia do Porto de Santos 2026, held twenty-two kilometres away.

Praia do Indaiá: tidal pools and coastal life on the Bertioga waterfront

The municipality of Bertioga is bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. At Praia do Indaiá, the waterfront is a lively staging ground for outdoor enthusiasts, drawing locals and travelers for stand-up paddleboarding, sea kayaking, and coastal fishing along the surf. The steady rhythm of paddlers launching through the shallows sets the tone for an active coastal day before and after the races. When the ocean retreats during low tide, the profile of the beach changes entirely. The falling water leaves behind expansive, shallow natural pools across the sand, creating protected pockets where the water remains completely calm and flat. These natural basins offer a warm, tranquil haven for small children to wade safely while swimmers recover on the sand after finishing their laps.

Forte de São João da Bertioga: sixteenth-century stone across the channel

About two kilometres from the race area, history anchors the landscape at Forte de São João da Bertioga. Positioned directly on the Bertioga channel bar facing the island of Santo Amaro, the stronghold was designed to guard maritime passage into the Rio Bertioga canal. The earliest sixteenth-century fortification was built as a stone bastion, featuring angular sentry boxes looking out across the channel waters. In 1551, an early palisaded settlement erected by Diogo de Braga and his sons was overrun and destroyed during an attack by the indigenous Tupinambá. Strategic control of the waterway remained vital, and in 1563 the Jesuit priests Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta stopped at the fort to celebrate mass before setting sail for Iperoig.

The stronghold seen today took shape when it was reconstructed in stone and lime masonry in 1710, equipped with an armament of eleven artillery pieces. Throughout the eighteenth century, the fortress served as the official registration point for vessels sailing into the port of Santos.

Restinga de Bertioga: mangroves and rainforest along the watershed

The Restinga de Bertioga State Park was established in 2010 to protect a vital ecological mosaic encompassing coastal sandplain restinga, tidal mangroves, and rich lowland Atlantic rainforest. Small rivers wind through the preserve and empty onto the shore, forming dynamic tidal estuaries.

Across the channel to Guarujá: tombolos and sheltered coves

Praia do Perequê stretches for 2,400 meters of sand and is home to the largest traditional fishing colony in Guarujá. The beach features a soft sandy bottom where waves roll between half a meter and one meter high, while a small freshwater waterfall cascades down its left flank. Praia de Pernambuco features an arc of 1,800 meters alongside the striking Morro do Mar Casado. At high tide, the waters of Pernambuco and Mar Casado meet and turn the hill into a detached island. The geological bridge linking the hill to the mainland is a tombolo, a rare coastal formation in the state of São Paulo protected as a cultural heritage site.

Its steep slopes, largely exceeding 45 percent incline, remain vulnerable to erosion and natural landslides. Praia do Éden is nestled against the Morro do Sorocotuba between Pernambuco and Enseada. Reaching this pocket cove of barely one hundred meters requires descending a steep forest trail with 110 irregular stone steps. At the bottom, visitors discover calm, clear, greenish waters reaching depths of ten meters that are well suited for snorkeling, making it a perfect spot to swim in tranquil Atlantic waters.