Mole Beach, Beach in Florianópolis, Brazil

Praia Mole is an open-sea beach on the east coast of Santa Catarina Island in Florianópolis, 960 metres long with a sand strip 10 to 75 metres wide. Its name comes from the soft, loose sand. The water is turquoise-green with white-crested waves, and a red flag on a pole stands in the sand near the upper right of the beach area, surrounded by people.

Praia Mole is a 960-metre open-sea beach on the east coast of Santa Catarina Island, 15 km from central Florianópolis. Its name comes from the soft, loose sand. It hosted stages of the ASP World Tour and remains a venue for international surf and supersurf championships. Since 2008 the Praia Mole Hotel has hosted The Week International's New Year and gay carnival parties.

The name Mole comes from the soft, loose sand. The northern end, by Bar do Deca, is the island's daytime LGBT meeting point, and the gay carnival there lasts ten days and draws 4,000 to 5,000 people. Since 2008 the club The Week International has held New Year and gay carnival parties at the Praia Mole Hotel.

Access is via the SC-406; the beach lies 15 km from central Florianópolis and 27 km from Canasvieiras. On summer weekends traffic on the access roads slows, especially late in the day. The sand strip is 960 m long and 10 to 75 m wide, with a lifeguard post staffed by Santa Catarina's Military Fire Corps. Mole is the only way to reach the naturist Praia da Galheta.

The beach floor drops away more steeply than many nearby beaches, bringing deep water close to the shore very quickly. This unusual feature is exactly what draws experienced surfers seeking powerful wave conditions.