Map › Italy › Cortellazzo

Veneto · Jesolo, Piave river mouth · Venezia

Cortellazzo

also known as Foce del Piave, Jesolo Cortellazzo

advanced only

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Jesolo - Ospedale 6 km · Jesolo - Piazza Brescia 9 km · Caorle 14 km · Bibione 25 km · Brussa 26 km · Punta Sabbioni 26 km · Lignano Sabbiadoro - Isola delle Conchiglie 37 km · Lido Kitebeach 38 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Novthe months riders and schools name How windy30-40 knotssynoptic Launchbigaccess rules on record, below Watersea26°C in summer · 12 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools1named at this spot From the airportno transfer time publishedVenice Marco Polo (VCE)

When it fills in

No daily cycle to plan around. The wind here is frontal rather than thermal, Bora or Scirocco arriving with a system, so it can be up at dawn and gone by lunch or the reverse. The forecast decides the session, not the hour of the day.

Cortellazzo is the Piave river mouth at the eastern end of the Jesolo coast, and it is a wave spot rather than a beach cruise. It works with east, southeast and south, when the outgoing river current runs against the swell and stands the waves up on the sandbar.

That current is also the reason to be careful: it is strong, it changes with the tide, and it is why the spot is wrong for beginners even though it sometimes gets rated as one. There are two sandy launches, one either side of the mouth, the western one near Camping Waikiki.

Winter is when the waves get serious, with the Piave swollen and the counter-current steep, while spring and autumn give more wind days. If the breeze clocks N or NE it goes side-off and gusty, and the honest move is to drive to Punta Sabbioni or Sottomarina.

No launch rule has been published for this mouth, so talk to the locals before you walk out over the rocks.

The wind

locals call it Bora, Scirocco

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: No daily cycle to plan around. The wind here is frontal rather than thermal, Bora or Scirocco arriving with a system, so it can be up at dawn and gone by lunch or the reverse. The forecast decides the session, not the hour of the day.

Typical strength

Variable, with no regular pattern; Bora can reach 30-40 knots.

best for wave/jumping when east or south-sector systems line up with the river-mouth current; poor and risky when wind rotates N/NE and becomes side-off/gusty.

Spring and autumn are the local favourites for wind frequency. Winter is the wave season, when the swollen Piave pushes out against the swell and the faces get steep.

The quiver, in words

No local size figures. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider across the range the spot actually gets: 11-12 m on a soft 12-15 knot spring or autumn day, 9 m at 18-20, 7 m at 22-25, and 5-6 m when the Bora is doing 30-40. Err towards enough power rather than too little.Underpowered in the outgoing river current means drifting seaward while you try to work upwind, and that is the failure mode here.

Direction to shore

East wind is described as side-shore; S/SE sea states are onshore to cross-on; N/NE shifts can become side-offshore and very gusty.

Dominant direction

E, SE, S

Forecast

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season

Jan16
Feb12
Mar, riders' month6
Apr, riders' month13
May, riders' month11
Jun10
Jul2
Aug2
Sep, riders' month10
Oct, riders' month13
Nov, riders' month8
Dec6

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov.

The model is wrong here

The model reads 16% of days at its best month, which does not sit with the season and the wind strength this record states. The figures are kept and drawn as hatching so no wind colour can be read off them, and the ringed months are the ones riders name.

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	From	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	16%	26%	21%	8.1 kt	ENE	13:00	4.5°C	10.3°C	62
Feb	12%	16%	14%	7.3 kt	SSE	14:00	6.3°C	9.3°C	57
Mar	6%	21%	15%	8.6 kt	SSE	15:00	9.3°C	12.1°C	62
Apr	13%	28%	20%	10.1 kt	S	15:00	12.1°C	14.6°C	60
May	11%	31%	24%	10.1 kt	SSW	14:00	18°C	18.5°C	62
Jun	10%	23%	15%	9.7 kt	S	15:00	22.5°C	23.9°C	60
Jul	2%	15%	13%	9.2 kt	S	15:00	25.7°C	27.6°C	62
Aug	2%	13%	6%	8.4 kt	S	15:00	25.3°C	28°C	62
Sep	10%	23%	22%	9.1 kt	S	14:00	20.4°C	24.9°C	60
Oct	13%	19%	18%	8.6 kt	SSW	14:00	16.7°C	20.6°C	62
Nov	8%	17%	12%	7.4 kt	NNE	13:00	9.5°C	15.7°C	60
Dec	6%	13%	8%	6.7 kt	NNE	12:00	5.8°C	11.4°C	62

riders' months

Riders and schools name these months. The model reads lower here, and both are shown rather than averaged.

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

sea

Tides

Current strength changes with the tide; no reliable tidal window is published.

Temperature

26°C summer · 9°C winter

Wetsuit

Same as the rest of the Jesolo coast: shorty or heat seeker when the Bora blows in summer, shorts or lycra otherwise, full winter protection or a drysuit in the cold months.

Currents

The outgoing Piave current is the defining hazard. It enlarges the waves over the sandbar and can run very strong depending on the tide.

9–28°C water

River-mouth wave spot at the Piave with chop and small to medium waves; waves from 1 to 3 m occur in suitable east or south/southeast conditions.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

The current alone rules out less experienced riders, whatever the occasional beginner rating for this spot suggests.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavejumping

local river-mouth wave spot with fishermen and summer beach users; more performance-oriented than school-oriented when working.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: big

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Jesolo - Ospedale, 6 km

Jesolo - Ospedale Jesolo - Piazza Brescia Caorle

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

None. No safety boat, no kite-specific cover and no lifeguard post documented at the river mouth, which is outside the managed Lido di Jesolo beach. This is a buddy-and-self-rescue spot: someone on the beach who watches you is the whole safety system.

For anything on the water, 1530 is the free national coast guard line for emergencies at sea and on beaches, and 112 also reaches emergency services.

Launch

Sandy river-mouth beach with two launches, one east of the river mouth and one west near Camping Waikiki; in strong S/SE mareggiate, launching is from rocks, passing below fishing lift nets.

Space

big

Rules & access

2026: no particular spot rules are published for this river mouth and no Comune di Jesolo kite ordinance covers this launch; speak with the locals before going in.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Treat the Piave current as the main hazard, worst around the tide change and after rain has raised the river.
Stay off the rocks and away from the fishing structures unless you know the local route in.
In strong S/SE mareggiate the launch is over rocks below the lift nets; if that is new to you, use the western side by Camping Waikiki.
When the wind clocks N/NE and turns side-off and gusty, go to Punta Sabbioni or Sottomarina instead.
Nobody is coming to get you. There is no lifeguard and no safety boat at the mouth, and the current runs seaward, so ride with someone on the beach and have 1530 in your phone.
Do not wait for an afternoon fill-in. This is frontal wind, so check the system and go when it is on, not at a set hour.

Getting there

Airport

Venice Marco Polo (VCE)

Route

Cortellazzo is next to Jesolo, about 40 km from Venice, at the fishing village on the river mouth that closes the eastern end of Lido di Jesolo.

Staying

Rooms and hotels run the length of the Lido di Jesolo coast, and camping sits next to the western launch at Camping Waikiki.

No-wind days

Jesolo beach/resort activities, Venice day trip, Punta Sabbioni for offshore northerlies, and Sottomarina when Cortellazzo turns N/NE and gusty.

Photos

Laguna del Mort — Alberto Vigani, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Cortellazzo suitable for beginners?

No. One local source says the outgoing Piave current can be very strong and the spot is not suitable for less experienced riders, despite other directories labeling it beginner-friendly.

What is the wind like at Cortellazzo?

E, SE and S winds are the main setups; wind is variable overall, and Bora can reach 30-40 knots.

When is the best time to kitesurf at Cortellazzo?

Spring and autumn are favorite local windows, while winter is rated the top wave season when the swollen Piave counter-current builds steeper waves.

What are the hazards at Cortellazzo?

The outgoing river-mouth current is the defining hazard, along with rocks and fishing structures near the mouth and gusty side-off wind when it clocks N/NE.

Last updated: August 2026