Rio De Janeiro: Copacabana
Live Cam

This camera looks out over the southern end of Copacabana, the stretch known to Cariocas as Posto 6, where the beach curves towards the old fort and the rocks that separate it from Ipanema. You get the full sweep of sand, the surf rolling in off the South Atlantic, and the wave patterned promenade of Avenida Atlantica running alongside it.

Why Posto 6? Copacabana is four kilometres long and every lifeguard post has its own character. Posto 6 sits at the quieter, more residential end, close to the Forte de Copacabana, and it gives the camera a long view back along the curve of the bay. It is the corner of the beach where locals outnumber tour groups.

Copacabana Beach Posto 6 highlights: As you enjoy the live view, be sure to look out for:

• Beach football and volleyball: Nets and goalposts stay busy through the day, with footvolley matches drawing small crowds of onlookers along the sand.
• The black and white promenade: Roberto Burle Marx's famous wave mosaic runs the length of Avenida Atlantica, filling with walkers, runners and cyclists from dawn onwards.
• Fishing boats and swell: Small boats work the water near the fort, and on bigger days the Atlantic swell breaks hard along this end of the beach.

Beyond the Sand: Behind the camera the Copacabana neighbourhood climbs towards the hills, packed with apartment blocks, juice bars and botequins. Walk south past the fort and you reach Arpoador and Ipanema; look north along the bay and the coastline runs towards Leme, with Sugarloaf standing at the mouth of Guanabara Bay.

Thanks to the camera operator who keeps this view of Copacabana online and freely available around the clock. Maintaining a coastal stream in the salt air takes real effort, and it lets people far from Rio share one of the most recognisable beaches anywhere.

Tune in for sunrise over the Atlantic, an afternoon of footvolley on the sand, or the lights of Avenida Atlantica after dark.