Arpoador beach, in Tutóia (Maranhão): calm water between the sand and a wide sandbank, bathers at the water's edge, palm trees in the foreground and two kites in the air over the dunes in the distance.

Kitesurfing destinations · Maranhão

Kitesurfing at Arpoador (Tutóia)

Arpoador beach in Tutóia, Parnaíba Delta (MA) — not the one in Rio.

Sheltered water, Jul–Jan season.

Water: ShelteredA sand spit holds the sea back before the beach; waist-deep at low tide.
Wind and season: Jul–Jan · peak Sep–NovSide-on, from the east/northeast, per schools and guides; 18–28 knots in season.
Level: First lesson to wavesWaist-deep at low tide; waves at high tide for riders.
Tide: Shapes the seaLow tide: flat between banks; high tide: waves.

Launch: Main beach, in front of the school; no named launch.
Watch out: By land, low tide only: on the wrong tide a car can get stuck. Book there and back with the school.
Who knows it: Two beach schools; Rota rides in Atins, to the west, and connects you with riders here.

Wind today Season Downwind Chat

Kite quick facts for Arpoador (Tutóia)

Kites: No source gives a kite size for this spot: the school picks the size for the day.
Water: 26–30 °C, per a kite-travel operator (2026): lycra for the sun.
Lagoons: Freshwater, between the dunes: they fill with the rains (Jan–Jun) and are fullest Jun–Sep. A trip, not a kite lagoon.
Access: ~20 km from Tutóia town, by 4x4 only and at low tide, via Barra; from Atins, by kite. Airports: Parnaíba and São Luís.

Kitesurfing conditions at Arpoador (Tutóia) today: wind, tide and moon

Tide calculated for Tutóia, open-data wind forecast up to 16 days ahead. Wisuki, Windguru and Windfinder have no spot for this beach — their “Arpoador” is the one in Rio de Janeiro; the closest historical series is Windy.app's Arpoador (Tutóia) spot.

Today: side-on wind · Today: low tide of 0.8 m at 08:15 and high tide of 2.3 m at 14:32 · Waxing Gibbous, 79% illumination.

Live editionUpdated at 16:49 · Brasília time

Tide, wind and moon in Tutóia

Updated at 16:49 · Brasília time

Kite beach — the tide shapes the sea.

Conditions inTutóiaDelta das Américas

TUESDAY · Today

September 22

Another date

Choose the day · peak wind and moon

TideThe shape of the water

FES2022

The day's range

1.5m

Difference between high and low

Next low

20:270.9 m

Height above chart datum

Tide height · mExplore the curve

The whole curve is a forecastBrasília time · UTC−3

Neap TideThe day's range1.5 m

Safety note

By land, low tide only: on the wrong tide a car can get stuck. Book there and back with the school.

Tide advice · TUTÓIA

Low tide: flat between banks; high tide: waves.

Moon influence and forecast source

Neap Tide — Moderate tides with smaller range. Good for calm beach activities.

Heights in meters above chart datum. “Mean level” is the average of this day’s extreme heights; it does not indicate depth.

We calculate tides using FES2022 harmonics and calibration data from FEMAR reference stations. Heights use the model’s reference-station baseline, not measurements at each village. For rivers and inland locations, the curve is a coastal tide reference; it does not predict local water levels.

Wind TutóiaThe wind observatory

Kitesurf spot · the wind rules

About the visualization and the motion

Automatic motion

Motion starts on its own when the visualization is in view.

SpeedThe flow speeds up with the wind speed at the selected hour. At zero wind it stops.

DirectionThe dot on the compass marks where the wind comes from. The lines travel the opposite way.

GustsThe ring shows the difference between wind speed and gust speed. Without valid gust data it disappears.

An illustration only — it does not simulate how often gusts arrive. The summary and the reading use the whole period shown in the chart.

MoonThe night sky

SEP 22

Waxing Gibbous

79%illuminated

Schematic phase · illustrative texture

Moonrise14:41

Moonset02:24

Sunrise05:39

Sunset17:45

Night sky

Night of Sep 22, 2026 to Sep 23, 2026

Moon above the horizon, from 18:53 on Sep 22, 2026 to 03:09 on Sep 23, 2026, Brasília time.

Moon below the horizon, from 03:09 on Sep 23, 2026 to 04:29 on Sep 23, 2026, Brasília time.

Astronomical night is when the center of the sun is at least 18° below the horizon.
Calculated times are approximate. Cloud cover is not included.

See the night timeline

Local astronomy · Brasília time

Best time to kitesurf at Arpoador (Tutóia), month by month

The house reading is July to January, peaking September to November. Use that window as the reference for choosing your dates, with no guarantee of wind every day.

January18–28 knots37%Contested tail: the most recent external source runs to mid-month; the numbers are already falling.
Februaryno band28%Outside the season; rain and lagoons, not wind.
Marchno band15%Outside the season.
Aprilno band12%Bottom of the series.
Mayno band18%Outside the season.
Juneno band29%The statistics climb, but no source opens the season in June.
July18–28 knots39%The season starts in the second half of the month, per the most recent external source.
August18–28 knots60%The wind firms up: over half the readings are at 12 knots or more.
September18–28 knots84%The statistical peak begins.
October18–28 knots90%The most consistent month of the year in the Windy.app series.
November18–28 knots79%Closes the peak.
December18–28 knots70%Still windy; one school ends its season here.

Consistency = share of readings, across all hours of the day, with wind of 12 knots or more (Windy.app, “Arpoador-Tutória” point ~7 km from the beach, 2012–2025 series, read on 22 September 2026). A different method from Wisuki's for Barra Grande: the numbers are not comparable, and the tiers rank this spot only against itself. Because it includes the night, the series shows less wind than the schools describe. The 18–28 knot band comes from the school and from guides (read on 22 September 2026) and applies to the whole season; from February to June no source gives a figure.

The school ends its season in December; the 2026 regional report runs to mid-January and puts the high point in Aug–Dec. The house reading is Jul–Jan, peak Sep–Nov.

What is the best month for a first kitesurfing lesson at Arpoador (Tutóia)?

No source separates a first-lesson month from a strong-wind month, as the sources do for other spots. What they do say: the water is flat between the banks at low tide, and September to November are the most consistent months (79–90% of readings at 12 knots or more in the Windy.app series). July and August are already windy, if less consistently. The school confirms the format, price, time and conditions — and decides whether the day and the tide suit a first lesson.

Can you kitesurf at Arpoador (Tutóia) in April?

April is the bottom of the series: 12% of readings at 12 knots or more, and no school or guide publishes a wind band for February to June. It is the rainy season, when the lagoons between the dunes fill up — beautiful, but outside the kite season. A trip built only around kitesurfing in April is a gamble; check the forecast in the console above and talk to the school before booking.

Where to ride at Arpoador (Tutóia): beach and sandbanks

Arpoador, in Tutóia, is an open beach sheltered by a sand spit that breaks the waves before they reach the shore. At low tide the water is flat between the banks, waist-deep in front of the beach; at high tide moderate waves roll in, good for those who already ride in the sea.

The main beach, in front of the schools. It is the only launch point the sources cite. None of them names a separate launch point, so none is named here: the school tells you where to launch, depending on the day's tide.

The lagoons between the dunes. Freshwater lagoons fill between the dunes with the January-to-June rains and are fullest from June to September, through the same process as the Lençóis lagoons. They are for sightseeing, not kiting; in August and September you can combine the two on the same trip.

Praia do Amor, further along the coast, is treated by one source (2025) as part of Arpoador in Tutóia and by others — Rota included — as a separate beach. It has open sea and waves; check with the school whether the session includes that stretch.

Kite lessons and schools at Arpoador (Tutóia)

Rota puts you in touch with the beach school; you talk to people who ride here and the school confirms format, price, time and conditions. A second school operates on the same beach. To see the whole of Tutóia — accommodation, services and what is around it — go to the Tutóia guide.

I want to try it: do I need a course? You can start with a short experience without buying a whole course. Here the tide counts as much as the wind: the water is flat between the banks at low tide and access by land depends on it — ask which tide the lesson runs on. Ask about a first experience.

I want to learn, or pick up where I left off. The season runs from July to January, and the school works with packages of hours. No price figure appears here without a date and confirmation. Ask about kite lessons.

I already ride: what interests me here. Flat water between the banks at low tide, waves at high tide and a downwinder to Atins along the Pequenos Lençóis coast. Ask about riding or downwinders.

Kite School Tutóia

Kitesurf

Verified

Talk to Ponte

What to ask: Which tide the lesson runs on, how the transfer to the beach works, how many hours until you ride alone and what happens on a day without wind.

The school appears without a name because the conversation goes through Rota: nothing here establishes a ranking, and Rota Insider has not yet signed a partner school at Arpoador (Tutóia).

Ask about kite lessons

Talk to us about kitesurfing at Arpoador (Tutóia)

Rota helps you understand the options and puts you in touch with a school or operator. The activity provider confirms the format, price, time and conditions.

I would like to ask aboutChat with Rota on WhatsApp

Tell us your approximate dates, your kitesurfing experience and what you would like to do.

Where to stay to kite at Arpoador (Tutóia)

There are two bases: the centre of Tutóia, practical and close to the bus station, and the Barra area out by the beach, rustic and on the seafront, with pousadas that arrange the transfer to the spot. For kite days, the second saves you relying on the tide to get there and back every day.

Compare zones and accommodation in Tutóia →

How to get to Arpoador (Tutóia)

The beach is about 20 km from the centre of Tutóia, only by 4x4 with a local driver and only at low tide, through the Barra neighbourhood — about 20 minutes from the seafront. Do not take your own car: on the wrong tide a car can get stuck. The usual airports are Parnaíba and São Luís; from Atins, you can arrive by kite, on the downwinder below.

Getting there, transfers and times in the Tutóia guide →

Downwind from Arpoador (Tutóia)

One arrival in Atins along the Pequenos Lençóis coast, and three long crossings that pass through this beach or end at it.

Towards Atins

Arpoador (Tutóia) → Atins along the Pequenos Lençóis

One leg, no day count, in Rota's guide

The run from here follows the Pequenos Lençóis coast to Atins, and it is one of the two coastal arrivals described in the Atins downwind guide. It is a type of journey, not a product for sale: the operator confirms the itinerary, the support, the luggage and the calendar. Operators publish 50, 60 or 65 km for stretches of this coast; Rota does not add up a total of its own.

Distances published by operators differ from one another and are not added up here. The Delta protected-area rule that prohibits kite manoeuvres in the river mouths has not been re-confirmed for this side of the Delta.

See the Atins downwind guide

Barra Grande (PI) → Atins3 to 5 days · passes through hereThe Parnaíba Delta crossing stops at this beach before the final leg to Atins; the Barra Grande downwind guide has both options.
Moitas (CE) → Arpoador (Tutóia)3–9 Oct 2026 · 6 daysAn operator's product with published dates: about 360 km (225 miles) from Ceará to Maranhão, ending at this beach. Price and availability are for the operator to confirm.
Ilha do Caju → Arpoador (Tutóia) → Atins50 km · rest day · 65 kmThe final stretch of a safari published by another operator (read on 22 September 2026), ~240 km across Ceará, Piauí and Maranhão: one day to here, a rest day and one day to Atins.

Ask about riding or downwinders

How this guide was prepared

The guide combines research from external sources and information from the school with the knowledge of someone who lives and rides in Atins, to the west. For Arpoador (Tutóia) the descriptions rest on research, without an in-person check of each school or operator. Where there is no source, it says so. Every number carries the date of its source, with more weight given to the most recent.

Month-by-month consistency (share of readings at 12 knots or more, across all hours of the day): Windy.app, “Arpoador-Tutória” point ~7 km from our beach point, 2012–2025 series, read on 22 September 2026. Not comparable number for number with the Wisuki series used for Barra Grande — Wisuki has no spot on this stretch of coast (searched on 22 September 2026).
18–28 knot band and side-on wind from the east/northeast: the school's Brazilian website (2022 footer, read on 22 September 2026); a sponsored kite article dated 27 October 2022 gives 15–30 knots and a travel operator's page (read on 22 September 2026) gives 18–30 knots for the whole season.
Schools: the older one has a website in Portuguese (2022 footer) and in English (read on 22 September 2026); the second appears only on Instagram (22 September 2026).
July-to-January season: a 2026 regional news report (second half of July to mid-January, with the high point from August to December) and Rota's Tutóia guide (updated 20 August 2026). The school says July to December; the Sep–Nov peak is our reading of the Windy.app series.
Water and launch: a kite-travel operator (2023 page) and an undated spot guide (both read on 22 September 2026) — a sandbank that holds the sea back, waist-deep water at low tide, moderate waves at high tide; Praia do Amor as part of Arpoador in Tutóia: a kite guide dated 29 May 2025. Water at 26–30 °C: kite-travel operator (2026 page).
Lagoons between the dunes: Rota's Tutóia guide (updated 20 August 2026).
Access and tide warning: Rota's Tutóia guide (updated 20 August 2026) and the school's English-language page (read on 22 September 2026).
Downwinders: Rota's own Atins and Barra Grande downwind guides; two operator itineraries read on 22 September 2026 — one with dates from 3 to 9 October 2026, the other with the 50 and 65 km legs.
Live: tide calculated locally and open-data wind forecast, in the console above.
What still has no source, and is not stated in the body of the guide: a kite-size guide specific to this spot; a report of how the wind fills in over the day; Windy.app's direction convention (whether it shows where the wind comes from or where it goes), which is why its direction is not quoted; the three coordinate points published for the beach, which nobody reconciles; the distance between Arpoador (Tutóia) and Atins: one operator gives 65 km from this beach, another 60 km from Tutóia, and nobody reconciles the two; and the Delta protected-area rule on manoeuvres in the river mouths, not re-confirmed for this side. There is not yet a local source who can be cited by name.

This is Arpoador in Tutóia, Maranhão, not Arpoador in Rio de Janeiro.