A project costing R$ 31.5 million has begun to widen the strip of sand on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, which will gain about 70 meters of sand along 2.3 km, using the same technique and the same company that expanded the beach of Balneário Camboriú.

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 01/06/2026 at 20:29

Updated on 01/06/2026 at 20:30

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Today almost nonexistent at high tide, with the sea hitting the dunes and threatening the avenue, the beach will receive sand pumped from a deposit on the seabed, 14 km from the coast. It is the same solution that doubled the shoreline of Balneário Camboriú, now applied to a beach forgotten by tourists.

A R$ 31.5 million project has begun to widen the sand strip of Praia do Gravatá, in Navegantes, on the northern coast of Santa Catarina. The intervention will widen about 2.3 km of shoreline, between the Foz do Rio Gravatá and the Rio das Pedras, leaving the sand strip approximately 70 meters wide after the material settles, using the same technique and the same company that widened the beach of Balneário Camboriú.

The work gained momentum from May 12, 2026, when the large pipes used for sand pumping arrived in the city, according to the Prefeitura de Navegantes. The project is carried out by the multinational Jan De Nul, winner of the bidding held at the end of 2025. A correction is needed: although there is information circulating that the company is Dutch, it is actually Belgian and is among the largest maritime engineering companies in the world, being the same responsible for the famous widening of Balneário Camboriú.

How beach widening works

A R$ 31.5 million project has begun to widen the sand strip of Praia do Gravatá, in Navegantes (SC), which will gain 70 meters along 2.3 km with pumping. — The technique used is already known on the Santa Catarina coast and has a name: artificial nourishment.

The process involves pumping sand extracted from a deposit on the seabed, located about 14 km from the coast and approximately 23 meters deep, transporting the material through metal pipes to the beach, where the sand is deposited to expand the strip, with material compatible with the native sand in size and color.

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The same solution as Balneário Camboriú

Anyone who followed the transformation of the Balneário Camboriú coastline will recognize the method.

The same sand pumping technology through metal pipes, connected to a dredger at sea, was used to widen the sand strip of what is one of the most famous beaches in Santa Catarina, and now it is being repeated in Navegantes, with the same company leading the work.

In Balneário Camboriú, the result was a much wider shoreline, capable of accommodating a much larger number of bathers and containing the sea’s advance.

The expectation is that Gravatá will have a similar gain in its usage capacity, transforming a currently little-frequented beach into a wide leisure space, with the potential to attract more tourists and boost the local economy in the coming summers.

Why Gravatá Beach needs the work

The intervention addresses a concrete and visible problem for those who know the area.

On high tide days, Gravatá’s sand strip becomes practically non-existent, with the sea hitting directly on the dunes and, in some sections, even threatening the seafront avenue, in a clear process of coastal erosion that had been worsening over the years.

Therefore, more than an aesthetic or tourist issue, the work has a protection objective.

According to the city hall, the beach nourishment should protect urban infrastructure against erosion and extreme weather events, expand space for leisure and tourism, recover natural dune and restinga habitats, and enhance the local economy.

Studies cited by the municipality indicate that the widened beach could accommodate tens of thousands of people on the sand strip.

Deadlines, costs, and what to expect

The official numbers help to size the undertaking.

The contract with Jan De Nul is for just over R$ 31.5 million, a value that represented a discount of about 26.8% compared to the initial budget of approximately R$ 43 million, with an execution period of five months and a contractual term of twelve months, according to information from the city hall and the bidding process.

Once the pipeline line is ready, the next stage, the most anticipated, will be the arrival of the dredger and the start of pumping sand directly to the beach.

This is when the transformation becomes visible, with the strip gaining width day by day.

It is worth remembering that technical details, such as the exact length of the pipeline and the model of the dredger, depend on execution and sea conditions, and may vary throughout the project.

The sand strip widening project at Gravatá Beach represents a milestone for Navegantes, promising to return to the city a wide, safe, and attractive beach, currently compromised by erosion.

By repeating the successful technique of Balneário Camboriú, the intervention combines protection against sea advancement, tourism enhancement, and environmental recovery.

If everything goes according to schedule, residents and visitors of the northern coast of Santa Catarina will soon have a new strip of sand to call their own, in an investment that targets both the present and the future of the coastline.

And you, do you know Gravatá Beach in Navegantes, and have you seen how the sand strip was reduced at high tide? What do you think of these beach nourishment projects that are transforming the coast of Santa Catarina? Leave your comment, tell us if you plan to visit the beach once it’s ready, and share the article with those from the northern coast of Santa Catarina who are following this transformation.

A project costing R$ 31.5 million has begun to widen the strip of sand on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, which will gain about 70 meters of sand along 2.3 km, using the same technique and the same company that expanded the beach of Balneário Camboriú.

How beach widening works

The same solution as Balneário Camboriú

Why Gravatá Beach needs the work

Deadlines, costs, and what to expect

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A project costing R$ 31.5 million has begun to widen the strip of sand on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, which will gain about 70 meters of sand along 2.3 km, using the same technique and the same company that expanded the beach of Balneário Camboriú.

How beach widening works

The same solution as Balneário Camboriú

Why Gravatá Beach needs the work

Deadlines, costs, and what to expect

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