The aim of this work was to estimate the recreational carrying capacity of the reef environments in front of Seixas beach, on the South coast of João Pessoa, capital of the state of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil, with emphasis on the direct and indirect environmental impacts. In relation to the direct impacts, the methodology proposed by Cifuentes (1992) was used, and for the indirect impacts, a mapping was carried out, of the current and potential sources of indirect impacts on the reef environments of the study area. The recreational carrying capacity was determined from 26 visits per day or 4,680 per year, for the reefs of Seixas beach. This study proposes a flexible and adjustable recreational carrying capacity, which might be partly modified over time, in light of the local biota, new physical and chemical parameters, and the increase of tourism-recreational inflow. Key words: Recreational Carrying Capacity, Reef Environments, Tourism, Recreation.