Praia da Guarda do Embaú, Serra do Tabuleiro State Park

Guarda do Embaú is a beach located on the border between the municipalities of Palhoça and Paulo Lopes in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, 46 km south of Florianópolis. Guarda is the ninth World Surfing Reserve and the first in Brazil.

To access its beach it is necessary to cross the Madre River, a geographical boundary between the municipalities of Paulo Lopes and Palhoça. Although it is associated with Palhoça, the beach itself, being south of the Madre River, is located in Paulo Lopes, while the village of Guarda, a small urban complex adjacent to the beach, is in fact in Palhoça's territory, north of the river. The resort is located in the Serra do Tabuleiro State Park and has approximately 1000 residents, among traders, artisans, fishermen and surfers.

Besides surfing and tourism as sources of economy, it has in the traditional artisanal fishing of the mullet, between the months of May and July, another source of income.