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Sardegna · San Teodoro, north-east Sardinia · Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna · San Teodoro

La Cinta

also known as San Teodoro, Spiaggia La Cinta

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds

Nearby Punta Saline (Olbia) 21 km · La Caletta 21 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools nameHow windy22-23 knotsthermalLaunchwide beach, but summer launch use is constrained to the kite zone and by swimmersaccess rules on record, belowWatersea26°C in summer · 9 things riders flagLevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level sectionSchools4named at this spotFrom the airportno transfer time publishedOlbia Costa Smeralda

When it fills in

No measured onset or drop time is published. The days that work are a forecast SE or NE with a thermal added on top, which points to the afternoon as the stronger half of the day; treat that as indicative rather than a schedule.

La Cinta is three kilometres of sand at San Teodoro, on the north-east corner of Sardinia, shelving gently with no rocks in the riding area. The water is clear, choppy with small waves inshore and bigger stuff further out.
SE Scirocco and NE Grecale are the winds that work, side-on and usually reinforced by the thermal; NW Mistral blows offshore and SW Libeccio side-offshore, so neither is a day to drive out for, even though the record is contradictory on that point.
Riding is concentrated in the marked kite zone locally called La Fuchìtta, roughly mid-beach, listed in the municipal shoreline plan as La Cinta CDM 37 with a school launch corridor. From June to September this is not a free launch: swimmers fill the inside water and the corridor is the only clean way out.
August water is around 26 C, winter drops to about 13.7 C, so a full suit outside the season. Come if you are learning with a school or want easy freeride water, and skip July and August if you want space to yourself.

The wind

locals call it Scirocco, Grecale

Direction

beachwater
cross-on

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

thermal

fills in: No measured onset or drop time is published. The days that work are a forecast SE or NE with a thermal added on top, which points to the afternoon as the stronger half of the day; treat that as indicative rather than a schedule.

Typical strength

An average of about 22-23 knots gets quoted, but it comes from an aggregated dataset rather than a station record.

reportedly stable and constant; no historical wind range on record
The thermal usually adds to a forecast SE or NE. A special kite zone applies in summer, and the south-harbour area is off-season only.

The quiver, in words

No local size guidance is published. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, read off the quoted wind range rather than measured on the beach: 8-10 m on the usual side-on Scirocco or Grecale afternoons, 11-12 m when the thermal only just fills in, 7 m if it pushes past 25 kt.

Direction to shore

SE and NE reported as side-on shore

Dominant direction

SE Scirocco and NE Grecale, side-on shore and thermally reinforced; the useful arc runs NE through E to SE, all of it coming off the sea. NW Mistral is offshore and SW Libeccio side-offshore, so neither is a working direction here, though the record is contradictory on that.

Forecast

Next three days, from Windfinder · full forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan47
  2. Feb33
  3. Mar59
  4. Apr63
  5. May33
  6. Jun54
  7. Jul40
  8. Aug39
  9. Sep53
  10. Oct30
  11. Nov46
  12. Dec39

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

  1. 12Jan14°
  2. 10Feb14°
  3. 13Mar15°
  4. 13Apr16°
  5. 10May19°
  6. 11Jun23°
  7. 11Jul27°
  8. 11Aug28°
  9. 12Sep25°
  10. 10Oct22°
  11. 12Nov19°
  12. 11Dec16°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan47%11.8 ktW10.9°C14.4°C
Feb33%10.3 ktW11.6°C13.9°C
Mar59%12.6 ktSSE13.2°C14.7°C
Apr63%13.4 ktSE15.3°C15.9°C
May33%10.3 ktSE19.3°C18.9°C
Jun54%11.2 ktSSE24.5°C22.8°C
Jul40%10.7 ktSE28.3°C26.6°C
Aug39%10.9 ktSE27.6°C27.5°C
Sep53%11.7 ktNNW23.8°C24.6°C
Oct30%9.8 ktSSE20.9°C22.1°C
Nov46%11.5 ktW16°C18.9°C
Dec39%10.8 ktW12.6°C15.7°C
modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

sea

Standing depth

You can put a foot down in the inshore zone at both high and low water. The beach shelves gently over clean sand with nothing to hit in the riding area; loose rocks are reported only further offshore.

Tides

tide independent

Temperature

26°C summer · 13.7°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or short wetsuit can be enough in summer; winter water averages support a full wetsuit.

14–28°C water
Clear water over sand, chop and small waves inshore, bigger waves once you are outside. La Cinta is a three-kilometre sandy beach that shelves gently, with no rocks and nothing to hit in the riding area.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced
KiteGym and Wet Dreams both teach beginners and advanced riders at La Cinta. The shallow water suits lessons, and wave, foil and freestyle are all ridden here.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridelearningfoilfreestylewave
A school-run kite zone on a beach full of holidaymakers. Swimmers, not other kites, are the crowding problem.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: wide beach, but summer launch use is constrained to the kite zone and by swimmers

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Punta Saline (Olbia), 21 km

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

Rescue

Wet Dreams runs a rubber boat for safety and recovery on its lessons. No municipal lifeguard or beach-rescue cover is published for La Cinta, and the official beach page lists services without any mention of surveillance.

Launch

Long sandy beach with a dedicated kite zone locally called La Fuchìtta, roughly at the mid-point of the dune-backed shore. The municipal shoreline plan carries it as La Cinta CDM_37 with a school launch corridor, and it is signed on the beach as La Cinta Beach, Kite Zone CDM 37. In summer a shuttle boat runs from Pischera, behind the north end of the beach, out to the kite zone for around 4 euros round trip; the year of that price is unconfirmed.

Space

wide beach, but summer launch use is constrained to the kite zone and by swimmers

Hazards riders report 9

  • rocks
  • crowded beach in summer
  • many swimmers in summer
  • kite-zone restrictions
  • dune and wetland sensitivity behind the beach
  • isolated rocks reported further offshore, not in the inshore riding/swimming zone
  • no-motorboat zones just north and south of the beach
  • swimming buoys mark the inside water; the furthest ones are the line to stay outside of
  • riding on the lagoon behind the beach is a nature-reserve offence and is fined
Rules & access
2019 Comune di San Teodoro Piano di Utilizzo dei Litorali lists La Cinta CDM_37 as 'Scuola di Kite surf; corridoio di lancio' with 84 sq m and 6 m frontage; 2026: the school on the beach still gives its base as La Cinta Beach, Kite Zone CDM 37. Riding stays outside the furthest swimming buoys and inside the marked zone.
The lagoon behind the beach is a nature reserve: riding on it is fined. Beach rules as currently posted, year unconfirmed: dunes off limits, no camping tents, no dogs between 08:00 and 20:00 in summer, smoking only in designated areas, and no taking sand, shells or stones.

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

Rider tips

  • Launch inside the marked kite zone at mid-beach, and check with the school or the comune that the corridor is open before you rig.
  • In summer take the shuttle boat from Pischera to the kite zone rather than walking the beach with your gear.
  • Give swimmers a wide berth from June to September: they are all over the inside water.
  • Ask whether boat rescue is part of the lesson price before you book.
  • Pack a full suit outside summer, when the sea runs near 13.7 C.
  • Stay outside the furthest swimming buoys, and keep off the lagoon behind the beach: it is a reserve and riding there is fined.
  • The seabed lets you stand at both tides in the inshore zone, which is why the schools put beginners here.

Getting there

Airport

Olbia Costa Smeralda. The distance is recorded twice and inconsistently: 30 km in one entry, 18 km from San Teodoro station in another.

Route

From Olbia head south on the SS125 to San Teodoro; the beach is signed from the town centre, parking is paid, and a free shuttle runs from town in summer. In summer a boat also runs from Pischera, behind the north end of the beach, out to the kite zone.

Staying

KiteGym runs Surf House La Cinta next to the beach for its members. What everything else costs here is unconfirmed.

No-wind days

SUP · beach activities at La Cinta · Tavolara marine area excursions · San Teodoro lagoon

Photos

La Cinta - panoramio (1)
trolvag, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is La Cinta good for beginners?

Yes, schools such as KiteGym and Wet Dreams teach beginners through advanced riders in the shallow, gently shelving water.

What is the wind like at La Cinta?

SE Scirocco and NE Grecale are the main side-on winds, often reinforced by thermal effects, and a summer kite zone concentrates where riders can launch.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

A municipal shoreline plan designates La Cinta as a kite-surf school zone with a set launch corridor, and riders must stay clear of summer swimmers.

What is the water like?

The beach is three kilometres of gently shelving sand with no rocks, giving shallow, clear water suited to lessons.

More in SardiniaAlgheroPunta Saline (Olbia)all →

Last updated: August 2026