Circuito TH5 Travessia 2026 — Etapa 2 (Bertioga)

The sheltered waters of Canto do Indaiá curve quietly under the green rise of Morro da Pedra Selada. Here on the northern coast of São Paulo state in Brazil, open water swimmers gather in the sea for the Circuito TH5 Travessia — Etapa 2 (Bertioga), organized by TH5 Eventos. Praia do Indaiá sits as a rustic and tranquil shore at the far end of Praia da Enseada, celebrated for its calm, shallow, and transparent sea that spares swimmers from violent breakers. Stepping off the sand into the water, you enter shallows that stretch outward with remarkable clarity, allowing you to settle into a clean, undisturbed stroke without fighting turbulent shorebreaks.

Sighting across the glassy surface is direct and intuitive, guided by marker buoys. The event provides an extensive ladder of distances suited to all abilities, starting with a 150-metre Kids Swim designed for younger competitors close to the shore. The main open water programme features a 700-metre short course, a 1,200-metre medium course, and a 2,200-metre long course, alongside extended distances of 2,400 metres and 4,750 metres. For endurance swimmers navigating the longer loops across the bay, pacing becomes a steady exercise of rhythm and navigation, slicing through calm salt water as the morning unfolds.

Forte de São João da Bertioga: guarding the maritime channel

Just about two kilometres along the coast from the race beach, maritime history is preserved at Forte de São João da Bertioga. The fort sits directly on the sandbar at the entrance of the Bertioga channel, facing the island of Santo Amaro, where it was originally established to guard the passage into the Rio Bertioga canal. The earliest sixteenth-century fortification was a rugged stone bastion built with angular sentry boxes looking out across the water. The post's early years were shaped by severe maritime clashes; in 1551, a timber-palisaded settlement erected by Diogo de Braga and his sons was overrun and destroyed during an assault by the native Tupinambá people.

A few years later, in 1563, the Jesuit priests Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta stopped at the fort to celebrate mass before setting sail on their coastal expedition to Iperoig. Recognizing the strategic importance of the narrows, Portuguese engineers rebuilt the fort in 1710 using durable stone and lime masonry, arming its ramparts with eleven artillery cannons. Throughout the eighteenth century, the fortress functioned as an indispensable registration checkpoint where all vessels bound for the bustling port of Santos had to be inspected and recorded.

Restinga de Bertioga: coastal mangroves and coastal fauna

The municipality of Bertioga is bounded to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, framing an exceptional expanse of protected shorelines. In 2010, the Restinga de Bertioga State Park was established to preserve coastal mangroves, coastal sand-plain restinga vegetation, and lowland rainforest. Praia do Perequê is an expansive beach stretching for 2,400 metres. Perequê houses the largest fishing colony in Guarujá. A small river flows directly across the beach into the sea, forming an active tidal channel where fish and crabs enter with the rising tide and wash back out with the ebbing current. River otters, capybaras, and various bird species thrive along the river's edges. On the left side of Perequê, a small freshwater waterfall spills toward the sand, fronting a sandy bottom where rolling waves typically reach 0.5 to 1 metre and occasionally rise to 1.5 metres.

Praia de Pernambuco extends for 1,800 metres of sand. Here rises Morro do Mar Casado, a steep coastal formation where slopes predominantly exceed 45 percent, making the hill susceptible to erosion and landslides. The hill connects to the coast via a tombolo, a rare sandbar formation in São Paulo state that submerges during high tide when the waters of Pernambuco and Mar Casado meet, temporarily turning the headland into an island. Because of this unusual coastal feature, the site is legally protected under Resolution 40/85 of the State Secretariat of Culture. Tucked between Praia da Enseada and Praia de Pernambuco on the slopes of Morro do Sorocotuba lies Praia do Éden, an intimate cove with a strip of sand measuring just over 100 metres in length.

Access to the beach requires walking down a steep trail with 110 irregular steps through the coastal forest. Down by the water, the sea is remarkably calm, clear, and greenish, with depths reaching up to 10 metres that make it a favorite destination for coastal snorkeling.

Praia do Indaiá: unpaved lanes and quiet shores

Back at the race venue, Praia do Indaiá retains an unpretentious and quiet seaside character. The landscape is framed by the steep profile of Morro da Pedra Selada, whose native Atlantic Forest vegetation reaches down close to the sand. There are no large residential towers or commercial buildings directly on the beach; instead, the surroundings consist of low-rise vacation homes, modest family guesthouses, and sandy dirt paths woven through greenery. Without permanent beachfront kiosks occupying the sand, the shore maintains an open and peaceful atmosphere throughout the morning. Street vendors move across the beach selling regional snacks and drinks, while also renting out chairs and sun umbrellas to spectators and athletes. After finishing the race, swimmers can unwind right on the sand, enjoying the quiet shelter of the bay. The gentle, transparent sea of Indaiá offers an ideal setting for an easy recovery swim.