Encerramento da temporada

A traditional schooner carries swimmers offshore before the long stroke back transforms the crossing into an approach toward the waterfront. Set in the sheltered sea of Rio de Janeiro state, Paraty hosts the Encerramento da temporada, an open water swimming event organized by Aloha Spirit at Praia do Pontal. Swimmers travel here in November to contest courses set across the bay's tranquil, sun-warmed waters.

Ilha do Malvão to Praia do Pontal: the Aloha Spirit courses

The weekend program features four distinct open water distances: 500 meters, 1 kilometer, 2.5 kilometers, and 5 kilometers. Depending on conditions and event design, the courses run either as point-to-point crossings across open bay waters or as multi-turn buoy circuits. In the flagship 5-kilometer marathon, participants board schooners in the morning to reach the starting line out at Ilha do Malvão, jumping into the sea to swim all the way back to the mainland. Navigating the line back to the continental coast involves sighting along a corridor marked by approximately ten guiding buoys. Every competitor must tow a mandatory individual safety buoy, maintaining high visibility against the rolling swells as an escort of twenty kayakers and motorized support boats monitors the field.

The longer races set off in the morning, followed later in the day by the 1-kilometer and 500-meter sprints. Each swimmer finally touches land directly in front of the Aloha Spirit Village constructed along the sand of Praia do Pontal.

The Bay of Paraty: calm shallows and fifty sheltered beaches

Swimmers stepping into the sea at Paraty encounter a remarkably welcoming marine environment characterized by calm, shallow conditions and reliably warm water. The natural amphitheater of the bay buffers ocean swells, creating an expansive aquatic arena where open water racing feels fast and smooth. The coastline breaks into an intricate maze of emerald headlands harboring roughly fifty beaches, many of which can only be reached by boat. Praia do Pontal itself owes its existence to coastal currents and river sedimentation that formed a long sand spit where the Perequê-Açu River meets the bay. This urban beach sits directly across from the historic heart of Paraty, connected to its cobbled lanes by a single bridge spanning the river. The shallow sandbanks at the rivermouth keep the nearshore water gentle, offering an ideal landing zone for tired swimmers coming off the bay.

Paraty Bay and Saco do Mamanguá: the protected marine nursery

Beyond the race lines, these waters belong to a vast coastal ecosystem preserved under the Paraty Bay, Paraty-Mirim and Saco do Mamanguá Environmental Protection Area. Encompassing over 5,600 hectares, this marine reserve was established specifically to shelter the vital breeding grounds and nurseries of coastal marine life. Clean currents circulating through the bays nourish fish populations that remain crucial for the region's traditional artisanal fishermen. To protect the seafloor and its delicate nurseries, environmental regulations strictly prohibit industrial bottom trawling and commercial shellfish harvesting throughout the sanctuary. Heading further down the inlet toward Paraty-Mirim, the shoreline is dominated by wide mountain slopes cloaked in thick, unbroken vegetation.

The Gold Trail, coastal pirates, and Forte Defensor

The calm anchorage that welcomes swimmers today once stood at the center of maritime trade along the Gold Trail, a 1,200-kilometer overland route cut through the mountains to haul inland gold down to Paraty. Colonial merchants also developed the nearby cove of Paraty-Mirim as an alternative loading port. However, the gold-laden galleons departing the bay attracted relentless pirate attacks across the waters of Angra dos Reis, turning this protected coastline into a hunting ground for corsairs. To defend the maritime storehouses from offshore raids, colonial authorities erected the Forte Defensor in 1703, where one of Brazil's few surviving colonial powder houses still stands. The connection between town and sea remains visible right in the historic center, where full moon high tides routinely push seawater through openings in the seawalls. On these lunar evenings, the stone streets submerge under shallow tidal water, returning the colonial settlement directly to the sea.

Praia do Pontal: from colonial shipyard to beachside cachaça

The very shoreline holds deep maritime roots, having operated in colonial centuries as a bustling local shipyard. Today, Praia do Pontal serves as Paraty's central city beach, where wooden tour schooners and private sailboats lift anchor from the shallows to explore the outlying archipelago. Its wide strip of sand provides an easy promenade lined with lively local establishments. After clearing the finish arch, swimmers gather at the beach bars set directly on the sand. Recovery comes in the form of freshly grilled shrimp skewers, crispy fried fish, and cold coconut water served under the shade. Celebrations naturally lean toward traditional caipirinhas mixed with locally distilled cachaça.