Every year from July until November the Southern Right Whales migrate to Santa Catarina coastline, making whale watching a popular activity. Some tour operators take tourists by boat, however, naturally the whales get close enough to see it from shore.

This weekend a group of 3 whales and calf was in Floripa, just on the southern part of the island, between Pântano do Sul and Solidão beaches, a beautiful bay surrounded by hills and islands. I was lucky to be there and see them with my own eyes. How great feeling it gives you, after all it is not everyday you see a whale in nature. Even a dolphin was swimming nearby them. Just spectacular.
Floripa is not a place where you can easily see the whales. The region down south from Garobaba and Imbituba is considered to have the best places for whale watching.

The Right whales were heavily hunted in the past, putting them into endangered species, but since the hunting stopped the population has grown steadily. Unfortunately we still have nations that simply neglect the worldwide appeals and continue to hunt the poor animals.

Besides whales I also saw the destruction made in Armação beach.
Some months ago, due to strong storm surges, many houses were washed away. The beach is simply gone, replaced by tons of rocks to build a wall in order to protect the houses located in the shore. A very sad scene. Armação was a very beautiful and popular beach and now few stretches of sand are left what will surely impact on the local economy during the summer months. Many specialists point man intervention in the area as the main cause. The local population demands a solution but aren’t they somehow accomplice on this environmental tragedy ?

“Do nothing that would harm the Earth” - James Lovelock

Among many waterfront restaurants in Costa da Lagoa, I found the Lagoa Bonita, a good place to have a drink with friends or just relax and watch life passing by. The menu has the same dishes as the other local restaurants and similar price. It has outside tables on a wooden deck and also few tables inside.
Firstly I ordered a portion of fried shrimps and some drinks. Next I ordered a grilled mullet accompanied by rice, pirão, fries and shrimp sauce which took quite long to arrive in my table. The fish was fresh and tasty. The table service was good but some orders took long so maybe they are lacking enough staff.
In overall it was a delicious meal in a lovely place. Nothing really special but a different place to try if you are visiting Costa da Lagoa.

Opening hours: 11h ~ 17:30h
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Costa da Lagoa is a small community situated in the Northern part of Conceição Lagoon. It is a very beautiful place, surrounded by forested hills and the Lagoon. It attracts many visitors looking for hiking, watersports or just eating and drinking at one of the many waterfront restaurants. It is rustic and to reach the place you need to get a boat service that departs daily from the Lagoa centre, or just hike in a long trail.
Recently it has been quite hot, considering we are in winter. The days have been sunny and the average temperature around 22°C/72°F during daytime. Opportunity for everyone to be outdoors.
The day was perfect so me and my wife went to Lagoa and took the boat to Costa da Lagoa. After 50 minutes I arrived at stop 17 where is located the restaurant Lagoa Azul, one of the most popular in the area. Firstly I ordered a crumbed fried shrimp and a cold beer. Afterwards I had the fish mullet accompanied with rice and shrimp sauce. Unfortunately the meal wasn’t very good this time. The food served there is simple, but this time it was quite greasy and the sauce was watery.
Despite the meal, the good thing is the outing itself. The scenery is enchanting and you see the people who actually live and transit there. Boat trips are great for relaxing and taking your mind off day to day rush.