The phenomenon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, specifically around the Leblon and Ipanema beaches, is locally known as a ressaca (a sea swell or storm surge). It looks like high tide, but it is tied to a specific weather event combined with the geography of the coastline. Below are some pictures and video around Avenida Delfim Moreira, the road that passes along the beach. I live in this area and went down to see the waves myself. There were a few surfers out, but swimming is not advisable.
Low-pressure systems and strong winds off the south of Brazil and Argentina push the ocean toward the coast. Because Leblon, the neighborhood where we are, faces south, it takes the brunt of the force.
Leblon and Ipanema are particularly vulnerable because they are open-ocean beaches. Unlike Copacabana, which is somewhat protected by the coastline’s curve and the Sugarloaf area, these beaches are fully exposed. The ocean floor also drops off quickly here. This is noticeable when we go to the beach — just walking into the ocean feels like a constant downhill slope, and the undertow is very strong. This causes the waves to break later, closer to the shore, with tremendous power. Along with this, the angle of Avenida Delfim Moreira is almost perfectly aligned with the ocean, allowing the water and sand to surge directly onto the roadway.
As you can see from the pictures and video, sand gets pushed up onto the street. The beach bars along the sidewalk get flooded. To put it into perspective, the normal waterline is usually about 30–40 yards from the road, and in many places, there is also a fairly high cement wall and a step up to the sidewalk and avenue.
This creates such a surge that the waves rise 3–4 meters above a typical high tide, jump the boardwalk (calçadão), and flood the lanes of the avenue. Tons of sand are dumped onto the street. In fact, some sections are closed while dozens of trucks and workers sweep and clear everything away.
One of the remarkable things is how quickly the cleanup happens. Within just a few hours after the surge, things are almost back to normal — bars reopen, traffic flows again, and people are back out walking along the beach.
This is the second time I have witnessed this, but the first time I actually went down to see it up close. I arrived toward the end of the event as the cleanup had already started, so I was able to walk around most of the area, with only a small section still shut down for the final cleanup work. I sat at a beach bar and took photos from there and from the sidewalk. The waves were still extremely strong, and even standing 40–50 yards away, I could feel the ocean spray as they crashed.
Here is a bar at the end of the street at the beach point at night. I go here all the time to have a drink
I walk along this sidewalk weekly
Recent Context
In fact, just this past week (May 11–12, 2026), Rio experienced another major ressaca event. Crews reportedly had to remove more than 18 tons of sand from Avenida Delfim Moreira in order to reopen traffic.
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