On the coast of Macau, where the salt mines give place to the development of fishing activity and to the manguezais, the beach of Barreiras still keeps the characteristics of a town where the progress theme has not arrived. The fishing village appeared with two denominations of Olho Água and Mãe D'água, when the population inhabited the islands of the Tubarãozinho and the Tubarão Grande. At the beginning of the 2oth Century, the place was called Barreiras D'água.

In the community history almost legend still is kept in the memory of oldest residents. It is of that a Portuguese ship ran aground in the bar of the river Tubarão, in 1818, in front of the Morro Vermelho. In 1932 still remained the framework of that boat, which was commanded by Francisco Martins Da Silva and his children Manuel, Luiz, Florinda and Cassiano. In the place they built a cattle ranch, giving origin to the community of Barreiras.

The population is very religious. In 1913 a cruise ship with the Jesuits Caetano and Bernardino Araújo arrived and four years later started the construction of the chapel of São Sebastião, inaugurated in 1918. The river Tubarão was already known by the Europeans, since the 16th Century, when the Indians had guided them there. The place was visited more frequently, after the expulsion of the Dutch, in the middle of the 17th Century.

In about1715, Diogo Lopes was the owner of all the area, but already in1890, it was purchased by Tomás Rodrigues, who kept fish farms on the islands of the Tubarão, considered an excellent place, mainly for the excellent quality of the existing drinking water.

The village grew as it filled with houses and education and health buildings, but it did not make use of any infrastructure in tourist terms

It has not any pousadas or restaurants, but as it is next to the city to Macau it is advisable, for who want some structure of lodging, to look in the center of the city or the edge of Camapum, where there exist small e comfortable pousadas. For the feeding part, mainly for tidbits and one cervejinha gelada (cold beer), in the streets and along the edge of the Tubarão river, the small bars are a good option, with typical regional plates based on fish and shellfishes.

What values in Barreiras is the appearance of the mangoes, between the sea and the Tubarão River. For those who want a sun tan and enjoy the sea of the region, they have to cross the beautiful mangoes by boat or canoe, which is a surprising adventure. It is advisable that the passage is accompanied by a boatman or experienced canoe man, so that the visit happens with security.

Another option in Barriers is to take a walk for the dunes that go of beaches of Barreira and Diogo Lopes. In Macau you can contract buggueiros offer passeios along the sea edge and beaches in direction of the city of Guamaré, passing for beaches of Soledade, Barreiras and Diogo Lopes. To arrive in Barreiras, there are two options, the first one via Macau and second via Guamaré, but the two cities are linked to Natal, by the BR 405, little less than 200 kilometers.