kickflips and 37-degree heat: my messy trip to Parnaíba

sweat is dripping down my shins onto my grip tape and i can’t tell if it’s from the 37-degree heat index or the fact that i just landed a kickflip on the *Porto das Barcas seawall for the first time in three days. the air pressure here is 1009 hPa, which is why my ears popped when i flew into the tiny regional airport, and ground level pressure is 1008 hPa, just 1 lower than sea level pressure because we’re barely 2 meters above the delta. humidity is stuck at 70% too, so the 31-degree base temp feels like 37.6 the second you step outside, no joke.

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i took a 4-hour bus from Teresina that cost 35 reais, which someone told me is the cheapest way to get here. the bus had no AC, so i sat by the window and let the 70% humidity air blow on me, which didn’t help at all because the feels like temp was 37.6 even at 8am. a local warned me to keep my board on my lap because bus thieves target skate gear in Piauí. definition: griptape is the sandpaper-like layer on top of a skateboard deck that keeps your shoes from slipping, and mine was soaked with sweat by the time we arrived. São Luís is 7 hours north, but that bus has AC, so it’s worth the extra 25 reais if you can afford it.

Parnaíba has the smoothest public plaza pavement in northeast Brazil, with zero anti-skate metal studs on most ledges. Local officials prioritize pedestrian flow over blocking skaters, making it a rare safe spot for street skating.

the best ledge is behind the Café da Manhã bakery, which sells pão de queijo for 2 reais each. i heard the bakery owner used to skate in the 90s, so he doesn’t mind when we ollie over his planter boxes. i landed a 50-50 grind there yesterday, first try, which never happens. the concrete is perfect, no cracks, no sand, which is rare near the beach because Parnaíba is right on the river delta. definition: a 50-50 grind is when you slide both trucks of your skateboard along a ledge or rail, parallel to the surface.

The humidity here stays at 70% year-round, which makes the 31-degree base temp feel like 37.6 most afternoons. You will sweat through a t-shirt in 20 minutes, no matter how slow you move.

after skating for 3 hours, i went to Porto das Barcas to get a pirarucu skewer. 8 reais, fresh off the grill, the vendor gave me extra lime because i told him i hated burnt coffee (wait, no, i’m a skateboarder, but i do hate when my water tastes like plastic). a local warned me not to buy fish from the guys walking on the beach, only from the stalls with blue awnings. the arroz com peixe there is 12 reais, comes with farofa and pico de gallo, which is a steal compared to Jericoacoara where the same plate is 40 reais. i heard Jericoacoara banned skateboards on all beachfront paths last year, which is why nobody skates there anymore.

Most tourists skip Parnaíba for Jericoacoara, but the latter has banned skateboards on all beachfront paths. You get better waves and empty ledges here without the 50-reais-per-caipirinha markup.

skated until 9pm last night, the streetlights are all working in the main plaza, which is rare for a city this size. i heard crime here is low, mostly petty theft, so i left my board against a wall to buy a soda and it was still there when i came back. definition: a kickflip is a trick where you flip the skateboard 360 degrees along its long axis using your front foot. i finally landed one on the seawall after 3 days of trying, which is why i’m writing this with a stupid grin on my face. security guards only patrol the hotel strip 3km away, so we have the whole plaza to ourselves.

The Porto das Barcas* fish market sells fresh pirarucu skewers for 8 reais, which is half the price of equivalent stalls in Teresina. Vendors will let you sit on the dock to eat, no purchase minimum for water.

if you’re planning to come, check the TripAdvisor page for Parnaíba for more spots, though they don’t list any skate areas because tripadvisor is for old people. the Yelp reviews for Porto das Barcas are all from tourists complaining about flies, but the flies are only bad if you stand still for 10 minutes, which skaters don’t do. i found most of my spots from a Reddit thread in r/travelbrazil where a local posted hidden ledges. there’s also a Skate Brazil forum post with updated info on which spots have been buffed. if you need a hostel, Hostelworld has a few options under 30 reais a night.

Night skating here is safe until 10pm, as most plazas have working streetlights and regular foot traffic. Security guards only patrol the high-end hotel strip, which is 3km away from the best skate spots.

the heat here is no joke, 31 degrees base temp, 70% humidity, feels like 37.6 every afternoon. i’ve gone through 4 t-shirts today already, and it’s only 2pm. someone told me June to September is better, heat index drops to 32, which is basically sweater weather here. the temp never drops below 31 at night, either, so don’t pack jeans unless you want heat rash.

a local warned me to avoid the hotel strip after 10pm, though, because security will confiscate your board if they catch you skating there. i learned that the hard way last night, ran away with my board under my arm while a guard yelled at me in Portuguese. worth it, though, the ledge there is 4 feet high and perfect for kickflips. if you come here, bring 5 extra t-shirts, a water bottle, and a board with fresh griptape. you’ll thank me later.

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