Nearby Perna (Pelješac) 27 km · Viganj 29 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
12:00 · 13:00 · 14:00 · 15:00 · 18:00 · 19:00
Afternoon wind, and when exactly it fills in is genuinely disputed: the start is put anywhere between 12:00-13:00 and 14:00-15:00, and once it is in it holds until roughly 18:00-19:00 or until sundown. July and August are when it comes in hardest. Ask at the kite centre on the day instead of planning a session around a fixed hour.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
locals call it Maestral / Mistral
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Afternoon wind, and when exactly it fills in is genuinely disputed: the start is put anywhere between 12:00-13:00 and 14:00-15:00, and once it is in it holds until roughly 18:00-19:00 or until sundown. July and August are when it comes in hardest. Ask at the kite centre on the day instead of planning a session around a fixed hour.
Typical strength
11-19 kt at Neretva Kiteboarding; 14-20 kt or 15-30 kt are also quoted for peak season.
Also on record
14-20
The quiver, in words
Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider on a twin-tip, with no local measurement behind it: 12 m when the maestral is soft at 12-15 kt, 9-10 m on a normal 16-20 kt afternoon, 7-8 m on the strong July and August days.The whole spread from 8 m to 14 m plus gets used here across the season, but a 10 m covers most sessions.
Direction to shore
The NW maestral arrives cross-onshore to side-onshore at the main centre at the bottom of the bay, blowing in off the Adriatic and up the Neretva valley towards the heat.Other corners of the river mouth sit cross-offshore, and descriptions of the spot disagree on whether the wind here is onshore or offshore at all, so read the angle on the beach you are actually using rather than on the one in the listing.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan19
- Feb16
- Mar19
- Apr10
- May, riders' month19
- Jun, riders' month3
- Jul, riders' month10
- Aug, riders' month5
- Sep, riders' month15
- Oct16
- Nov20
- Dec8
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 19%Jan13°
- 16%Feb13°
- 19%Mar14°
- 10%Apr17°
- 19%May20°
- 3%Jun25°
- 10%Jul28°
- 5%Aug28°
- 15%Sep25°
- 16%Oct22°
- 20%Nov17°
- 8%Dec14°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19% | 24% | 21% | 8.2 kt | NE | 14:00 | 5.3°C | 12.9°C | 62 |
| Feb | 16% | 23% | 19% | 7.3 kt | NE | 15:00 | 7.4°C | 12.9°C | 57 |
| Mar | 19% | 35% | 34% | 10 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 9.2°C | 14.1°C | 62 |
| Apr | 10% | 18% | 13% | 8.7 kt | SW | 15:00 | 12.4°C | 16.7°C | 60 |
| May | 19% | 34% | 32% | 9.3 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 17.9°C | 19.9°C | 62 |
| Jun | 3% | 12% | 7% | 7.7 kt | W | 15:00 | 23.1°C | 25.2°C | 60 |
| Jul | 10% | 15% | 13% | 8.2 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 26.8°C | 28°C | 62 |
| Aug | 5% | 26% | 13% | 8.5 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 26.3°C | 27.8°C | 62 |
| Sep | 15% | 25% | 23% | 8.5 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 21.1°C | 25.2°C | 60 |
| Oct | 16% | 21% | 18% | 7.3 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 16°C | 21.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 20% | 27% | 25% | 8.1 kt | NE | 13:00 | 10.9°C | 17.2°C | 60 |
| Dec | 8% | 18% | 16% | 6 kt | NE | 12:00 | 7.9°C | 14.2°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
river-mouth lagoon and Adriatic bay; flat, shallow sandy water with some chop and small waves outside
Standing depth
The flat water runs roughly 100 m out from the sand before it deepens and turns choppy. Inside that band you are ankle- to hip-deep over sand and can stand across a wide area, and because the spot is tide-independent that band does not move through the day. The ankle-deep patches nearest the beach will catch a long fin.
Tides
tide independent
Temperature
24.2°C summer · 14.6°C winter
Wetsuit
shorts, shorty or light suit in summer; thicker suit in spring and autumn; winter not documented for regular kiting
Currents
The Neretva pushes out through the mouth, so there is river flow on top of any sea movement, unquantified and strongest after rain upstream. Enough sand comes down with it to build the spit that makes the spot.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Medium, but tight and crowded in summer; the beach itself is small even though the bay is wide.
Somewhere else
Perna (Pelješac), 27 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Sand and grass beach at the mouth of the Neretva; Neretva Kiteboarding sits at the bottom of the bay with beach access, storage, Wi-Fi, shower/WC and a camping area nearby.
Space
Medium, but tight and crowded in summer; the beach itself is small even though the bay is wide.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Learning: stay in the beginner zone. The rest of the water is where people jump, and they will not be looking for you.
- Expect the wind after lunch, but confirm the timing at the centre: onset is quoted anywhere from 10:00 to 15:00, with the peak around 14:00.
- Fit the shortest fins you own; the ankle-deep sections near the centre catch anything longer.
- Book in Blace or on the spot early for July and August; the kiters' apartments go first.
- Keep clear of the public bathing area next to the kite centre; swimmers use it all summer.
- Walk the beach before you rig: stones and power lines on the launch, seaweed near the centre.
- Expect the wind after lunch, but confirm the timing at the centre: onset is quoted anywhere from 12:00 to 15:00, and it can run to sundown.
- The rescue boat is not sitting manned on standby. Reckon on 15-20 minutes if you call it, and ride accordingly.
- The flat water is roughly the first 100 m. Past that it deepens and gets choppy, which is where the jumping happens.
- A 10 m is the kite you will use most. Bring a 12 for the soft days and an 8 for August.
- Access prices are still quoted online in kuna from 2017. Budget in euro and confirm at the gate.
Getting there
Airport
Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) or Split Airport (SPU); Mostar (OMO) is geographically closer but across the Bosnia and Herzegovina border
Route
Drive to the Neretva river mouth near Ploče, Komin and Blace. The spot is about 90 km from Dubrovnik Airport and 130 km from Split Airport; the local kite center is about 10 km from Ploče, and Blace is about 5 minutes by car from the spot.
Transfer
120 min
Cost level
reasonable
Staying
Apartments and vacation rentals in Blace are commonly used by kiters, including apartment, villa, vacation home and camp options; Kanza offers simple cabin-style accommodation from 12 EUR per night.
No-wind days
SUP on the flat morning water or on the Baćina Lakes, kayak or boat trips through the Neretva channels and the mandarin plantations, cycling, birdwatching, the local vineyards, a day out to Ston or Pelješac, and the old submarine tunnel that doubles as a water-jump spot.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kitesurf at Neretva?
The Maestral season runs from about 1 May to late September, with roughly 90 percent windy days in season and the wind typically filling in after noon.
Is Neretva suitable for beginners?
Yes, the shallow lagoon is repeatedly described as good for learning, with a designated beginner area separate from the zones used for jumping and tricks.
What is the wind like at Neretva?
A thermal Maestral sea breeze blows from the sea into the valley, typically around 14-20 knots and generally starting in the early to mid afternoon.
Are there kite schools at Neretva?
Neretva Kiteboarding operates a paid beach with storage, Wi-Fi and shower/WC, and beginners are directed to their own area away from tricks and jumping zones.
How shallow is the water?
The lagoon is largely ankle- to shallow-depth over sand, which is good for learning but can mean fin strikes in the shallowest sections.
Last updated: August 2026