Red Letter Day: Jeri Springer

RIDER & WORDS: Lutz Englert
PHOTOS: Thomas Burblies
LOCATION: Jericoacoara, Brazil
DATE: Thursday December 1st, 2022

On location for a CORE photoshoot, Lutz Englert got used to trading off the rich offerings to be had at this stunning spot on the Brazilian coast, with the slightly less enjoyable journey getting there. The final day – seen here – made everything worth it…

Jericoacoara, or just Jeri, seems like an oasis between kilometers of shifting sand dunes. Even though there is no actual road – just hundreds of paths through the dunes – it has grown to one of the more touristic hotspots in Brazil. With countless bars, restaurants, and clubs, it feels like a tiny version of Las Vegas, especially at night.

We had been on a daytime mission though. On our trip from Fortaleza up the windy Brazilian coast, we kept an eye on the forecast in Jeri from the very beginning. The reason was that Jeri is not only known for its nightlife, but also for its waves if you hit the right swell. Long, clean waves, traveling from the point down the bay towards the big shifting dunes, was exactly what we were looking for.

Since we weren’t staying in Jeri, each trip there was a mission in itself. The paths along the beach are full of potholes and the bumpiest ride you can imagine. We went there at least four days in a row, waiting for the swell to arrive. Jeri has completely banned cars, so you must either book accommodation inside the town, or you pass the town, set up your gear west of Jeri, and tack upwind to the point.

That last day had the best swell forecast, and when we arrived at our spot, we saw multiple windsurfers already at the point. Willow (River Tonkin) and I have been lacking a decent wave session for quite a while, which fueled our levels of excitement even more, even though we couldn’t really judge the wave from the distance.

We quickly setup our gear, Thomas and Juli prepped the cameras, and we foiled up to the point. I didn’t take long to realize that this was not really what we were looking for. The waves were inconsistent and small, with dozens of windsurfers fighting for the few waves that appeared. Not the wingfoiling heaven we had imagined. We knew that Thomas and Juli had quite a distance to walk from the cars to the point, so we quickly decided to save them from the hike in the burning sun and head back to the cars.

At the spot shown here, the water was calm and flat, with only a few waves breaking right at the beach. With the sun warm on our backs, the picturesque coastline of Jeri was cast in the perfect light. The lush green vegetation, the massive dunes and the vibrant blue water appeared to be the perfect setting to get some freestyle shots. Even though we didn’t score the waves we hoped for, it still paid off with a decent session in a setting to remember.

Ultimately, Brazil should be on the list for every wingfoiler. With my mind being biased toward all the flatwater-kite-freestyle lagoons, I was surprised how many good spots it delivered, looking at it through the fresh eyes of a wingfoiler. We have found perfect, deep, sweet water lagoons, decent waves along the multiple beaches and yes, we also struggled occasionally with water that was too shallow or beach breaks that were too strong, but that’s the way it goes, and the charm of adventure. The warm climate and consistent wind make it easy to discover the country and drive to multiple spots in a day though, which will probably hand you more spot variety than any other country.