Short answer: Maresias is a surf beach, with strong waves, currents and a bottom that drops off suddenly close to the sand. You can go with young children: pick your day, stay in front of a lifeguard station and follow the flags. For calm swimming, the best options are 12 to 20 km away by car: Camburizinho, Baleia and Barra do Sahy.
Is Maresias good for young children?
It depends on the day. According to the city's official tourism website, Maresias has 5 km of sand, a steeply shelving shore and strong waves, and it's one of the most famous surf spots in Brazil. On a steeply shelving beach, the water gets deep just a few steps past the water's edge.
Canto do Moreira belongs to the surfers and hosts competitions. On the other stretches, on days when the sea is calmer, many families go in the water, keeping an eye on the depth. With young children, the rule is simple: water no higher than their shins and an adult right there with them, in the water.
Where and when is the sea calmest?
The sea changes with the wind, the tide and the swell. A south or southeast swell puts the Maresias waves at their peak: great for surfing, bad for kids. On days with strong waves or currents, the advice is to stay out of the water.
Cold fronts make the sea rougher. In May 2026, the Brazilian Navy and São Sebastião's Defesa Civil (civil defense agency) warned of storm swells with waves of up to 3 meters on the North Coast. With a warning like that, kids stay away from the sea.
Where the Rio Maresias meets the sea, the fresh water is nice for cooling off. In rivers, the fire department advises not going in past knee height, because the water level can rise quickly. Also check the flag from Cetesb (the state environmental agency): green means the water is fit for swimming; red, unfit. After heavy rain, Cetesb advises staying out of the sea for 24 hours.
How do the lifeguards and flags work?
The Grupamento de Bombeiros Marítimos (GBMar), the São Paulo fire department's marine lifeguard unit, has a station in Maresias, on Avenida Francisco Loup. In summer, seasonal lifeguards reinforce the city's beaches: in the 2025/2026 season, from Oct 25 to Feb 22. Outside that window, choosing the right stretch of beach matters even more.
What GBMar and the fire department ask of families:
- Choose stretches with a staffed lifeguard station and lifeguards in sight.
- A red flag on the sand marks a strong current or a rip channel. Nobody goes in there.
- An adult watches the children at all times. Inflatable floats don't count: they can puncture.
- Ask at the lifeguard station for a free ID wristband with your child's name and your phone number.
- Agree on a plan with the little ones: anyone who gets lost looks for a lifeguard.
The wristband makes a difference. In 2025, GBMar handled 351 cases of lost children on São Paulo state beaches, 108 in January alone. Every one of them was reunited with their family.
Which beaches near Maresias are calmer for kids?
Descriptions from the city's official tourism website; driving distances from Maresias.
- Paúba (about 4 km): shallow freshwater lagoons, great for little ones. The beach is steeply shelving and, on big swell days, the waves barrel.
- Camburizinho (12.5 km): calm water, ideal for a family swim, with a lifeguard station. Heads-up: it gets deep quickly.
- Baleia (15.5 km): one stretch has calm, shallow water, recommended for families with children; another has waves.
- Barra do Sahy (18 to 20 km): a calm sea in a horseshoe-shaped cove, with natural pools near the rocks.
A comparison of the sea, facilities and access at each one is in our guide to beaches near Maresias.
Where are the hospital, pharmacy and grocery store?
The nearest public hospital is the Hospital de Clínicas de São Sebastião Costa Sul, in Boiçucanga, about 10 km away. It handles urgent and emergency care 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays.
For minor issues, Maresias has a Unidade de Saúde da Família (a public family health clinic), open mornings and afternoons. In an emergency, call 192: SAMU (the public ambulance service) has an ambulance based in Maresias. For the fire department, call 193. Grocery stores and pharmacies are right in the neighborhood, and Boiçucanga has a supermarket, pharmacies and banks.
What can you do with kids, rain or shine?
On dry days, Praça do Surf, in Maresias, has a playground, a skate park and the Tourist Information Center. In Barra do Sahy, kids can cross a wooden suspension bridge and see the natural pools at the right end of the beach.
When it rains, plan a more laid-back day:
- Historic center of São Sebastião (about 27 km): the 17th-century Igreja Matriz (the main parish church) and the Museu de Arte Sacra (Museum of Sacred Art), housed in the Capela de São Gonçalo.
- Ferry to Ilhabela: pedestrians ride free, and the crossing takes 20 to 30 minutes.
- Family cooking: in an apartment with a kitchen, snacks and dinner come together at your own pace.
- Waterfalls and rivers, only in settled weather: after rain, water levels rise quickly.
What should you pack for the kids?
- Sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, from 6 months of age, reapplied after every swim.
- Keep babies under 6 months out of direct sun. Peak UV runs from 10 am to 4 pm: plan sun time before and after that.
- A hat, a UV-protection shirt and a beach umbrella (the inn lends one).
- A children's life jacket instead of inflatable floats.
- Age-appropriate insect repellent for outings near the forest.
- Your child's ID, health insurance card or SUS card (Brazil's public health system) and any regular medications.
- A bucket, a spade and a light jacket for the evening.
How does Villa Blu help families, and where doesn't it?
Villa Blu is a small inn on Av. Guanabara, a quiet street in Maresias. The Apartment sleeps up to 4: a full kitchen, a living room, a separate bedroom, a balcony with a hammock, a queen bed and 2 single beds. You can make baby food and put the kids to bed while the adults stay in the living room.
Children up to 3 stay free (up to 2 per room); for older children, the rate appears in the date search. Breakfast is included and served from 8 to 10:30 am, and the pool is heated all year round, with the water between 27 °C and 29 °C.
The beach is a 10-minute walk away (700 m), and with young children that walk adds up, especially on the way back. The upside: your car stays in the parking space included in your rate, and the front desk lends chairs, umbrellas and towels. A rhythm that works: early breakfast, the beach until 10 am, lunch, a nap and the pool in the late afternoon.
To be frank: the inn has no playground or kids' activities. If your family needs kids' club staff and activities all day long, this isn't the place. If the idea is to relax with a practical base, see how Villa Blu welcomes families.
