praia do arpoador is easily reachable via public transportation, as the majority of buses going along copacabana and ipanema stop at praça general osório (general osório square), also a main subway stop only a short walk from the beach.

on this link, the instituto estadual do ambiente (inea) provides the suitability of several beaches, including praia do arpoador. constantly updated, the red flags mean that swimming is not advisable, green flags mean waters are clean, and yellow flags suggest using own judgment. any of rio's beaches may have polluted waters within 24 to 48 hours following heavy rains.      

this link shows praia do arpoador on a wikimapia - the link as we present it is best seen using google chrome, as the zoom setting might not open correctly with other browsers.