the waves are so strong and turbulent that they are often compared to hawaiian waves, with the nickname pipeleme, referring to the famous hawaiian wave with a similar sounding name, pipeline.

this linkshows leme beach on a wikimapia, and it is best seen using google chrome, as it might not open correctly with other browsers - published by surfline, this clickable map shows the height of the waves on a number of beaches in both rio de janeiro and niterói, and this chart shows the forecast for all waves in rio's southern region.

also by surfline, this page displays the spot forecast for praia do leme - on this link, the institudo estadual do ambiente (inea) provides the suitability of several beaches, including leme beach.