rio's beaches are not only very different form one another but, as they also play an important role in rio's social life, each beach tends to be the mostly visited by different groups of beachgoers. especially in zona sul, surfers, tourists, volley players, hipsters, families with children, and more types have selected certain stretches of sand over others to regularly enjoy the waves and the sun. 

knowing what type of crowd can be expected on a certain beach can contribute to the quality and enjoyment of visitors' time in rio. in fact, considering the sizes of both copacabana and ipanema beach, it is important to know which part of the beaches would best fit someone's needs.  knowing this can save walking-around time, and even help if finding the most appropriate and best located accommodation in rio.