Cross the sandbar at the foot of town and you are on the open Atlantic side, which has the opposite character to the sheltered lagoon — cold, windy, and with consistent waves rolling in unbroken from across the ocean. The beach is wide and long; on a winter weekday you may have it almost entirely to yourself.
The surf is rideable rather than dramatic — beach break with sand bottoms, suitable for intermediates and forgiving for learners. A couple of small surf schools operate from the town in summer; in winter you will need your own board. The water is cold from October through May. Swimming on this side requires confidence — there is usually a strong rip near the northern channel.
The walk along the bar between the two channels is one of the better things to do in town — about an hour each way, with the lagoon on one side and the ocean on the other, and very few people once you get past the first stretch.