the zona west of rio de janeiro includes all the beaches we listed in the south-west zone, however in this section we separated and grouped all the beaches facing sepetiba bay and the main oceanic beaches  in barra de guaratiba - praia do canto, praia grande, and praia da marambaia.

just over 300 square kilometers in size, sepetiba bay is not as commercially or turistically significant as guanabara bay - however it is a vital area for the fishing industry in the region.  

with marine catfish being the most present in sepetiba's waters, nearly one hundred species of fish were catalogued in the bay - including from the ariidae, gerreidae, sciaenidae, carangidae, and sparidae families.