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Palombaggia

Corsica - Porto-Vecchio · South Corsica

also known as Palumbaggia, Plage de Palombaggia, Cala di Lume

Part of Porto-Vecchio, Corsica →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Apr–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

12-18 knots

Character: mixed

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

24.4 °C in summerFlat to choppy over sand, with sheltered patches behind the sandbanks

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

30 min

Figari-Sud Corse Airport (FSC)

When it fills in

A southeasterly thermal can stir in the morning, and the usable breeze generally builds around midday; nothing is measured, so watch the water before you commit to a size.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Santa Giuliano page yet
Tamaricciuno page yet
Figari Bayno page yet
Ventilegne / La Tonnara
Porto Pollono page yet

The spot

Palombaggia is the postcard beach of Porto-Vecchio, about 10-12 km south-east of town on the south-east coast of Corsica, facing the Cerbicale Islands: white sand, red granite, umbrella pines, clear water, flat to choppy over sandbanks. It is a bathing beach first. In high season a lifeguarded swimming zone runs 400 m either side of the Casa di Lume post and the sand is packed, so a July or August kite session means rigging at the I Pini end and getting lucky.

Wind and conditions

Which wind works is unsettled: S, SSW or SW get recommended, an east wind comes in onshore too, and the summer breeze reportedly builds around noon, so watch the beach for a while before you commit.

Best times

Best months are spread across April to October; May and June, then September, come up most often.

Hazards and preparation

Rocks at both ends, boats at anchor and fishing activity offshore, fenced dunes behind: stay central and rig away from anything protected. If you are learning, book Eole Figari or another south Corsica school and expect them to take you somewhere safer. Nobody has confirmed a rescue option for independent kiters here.

The wind

locals call it Libecciu/Libeccio, easterly sea breeze/Levante-type winds

Direction

cross-onS

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

S, SSW or SW; an east wind also works, onshore.

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, with no local size data published: 11-12 m for the light summer thermal around 12-16 knots, 9 m once a S/SW fills in near 20, 7 m on the rare strong westerly day. Wing and foil riders get more days here than twin-tips do.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Typical strength

No local measurement. An aggregate of about 24 knots is quoted for the beach, which reads high against the summer picture of a light thermal; treat 12-18 knots as the indicative range on an ordinary summer day, with more when a synoptic S/SW or a westerly blow comes through.

Pretty, not reliable. You ride when a synoptic wind or the local thermal happens to line up, and in summer the swimmers take most of the usable beach anyway.

April to October is the window, with May to September the core kite season and its thermals. Spring and autumn are the safer bet; summer swings from a weak thermal to a strong westerly blow. The direction itself is unsettled: S/SSW/SW on some days, E on others, and nobody has pinned it down.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan35
Feb23
Mar40
Apr, riders' month40
May, riders' month19
Jun, riders' month20
Jul, riders' month16
Aug, riders' month21
Sep, riders' month27
Oct, riders' month21
Nov28
Dec31

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

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

35%Jan15°
23%Feb14°
40%Mar15°
40%Apr16°
19%May18°
20%Jun22°
16%Jul26°
21%Aug27°
27%Sep24°
21%Oct22°
28%Nov19°
31%Dec17°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

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.

Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	Wind from	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	35%	48%	42%	11 kt	WSW	13:00	9.6 °C	15.1 °C	62
Feb	23%	37%	33%	9.8 kt	SW	15:00	10.6 °C	14.3 °C	57
Mar	40%	56%	48%	12.2 kt	WSW	15:00	11.3 °C	14.7 °C	62
Apr	40%	52%	45%	11 kt	NE	14:00	13.5 °C	15.7 °C	60
May	19%	34%	27%	9.4 kt	ENE	13:00	17.9 °C	18.4 °C	62
Jun	20%	27%	23%	9 kt	WSW	14:00	22.6 °C	22.4 °C	60
Jul	16%	29%	27%	9.1 kt	WSW	15:00	26.4 °C	26 °C	62
Aug	21%	24%	23%	8.9 kt	W	14:00	26 °C	27.2 °C	62
Sep	27%	38%	32%	10.1 kt	WSW	14:00	22.2 °C	24.2 °C	60
Oct	21%	35%	26%	9.3 kt	WSW	14:00	18.2 °C	22 °C	62
Nov	28%	48%	38%	11.4 kt	WSW	14:00	14.2 °C	19.4 °C	60
Dec	31%	52%	42%	10.6 kt	WSW	14:00	10.7 °C	16.5 °C	62

How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024

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

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

mixed

Standing depth

Sand, standable at both high and low water near the shore, with sandbanks further out; how far out you can stand is unconfirmed.

Tides

Small Mediterranean tide: Porto-Vecchio/Palombaggia August-September 2026 tide tables show typical highs around 0.3-0.4 m and lows around 0.0-0.2 m; tide is not a deciding factor.

Temperature

24.4 °C summer · 14.6 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 14–27 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or shorty in summer; full wetsuit outside summer.

Conditions

Flat to choppy over sand, with sheltered patches behind the sandbanks. In high season the lifeguarded bathing zone and the swimmers decide where you can reach the water. Leave the posidonia banquettes alone; they are protected on every Porto-Vecchio beach. Currents at the launch: nothing on record.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

On paper any level; in practice, beginners only in shoulder season or with a school.

The flat, shallow patches suit a first session, but in high season the beach is a swimming beach, the ends are rocky, boats anchor offshore and the dunes are fenced. Advanced riders get a scenic freeride or freestyle session when wind and crowd allow; this is not a wave or strong-wind spot.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat-water practicewingfoilwindsurfscenic sessionsshoulder-season riding

A postcard beach, not a kite hangout. Summer is families and swimmers and beach restaurants; the calmer kite session is a shoulder-season one.

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: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

8 spots nearby

All 8 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Town lifeguards cover the bathing zone around the Casa di Lume post in high season; nobody covers kiters. The schools teach elsewhere in south Corsica or from a boat, depending on the day.

Launch

A long sand beach under umbrella pines with fenced dunes behind it; the rigging area is medium to wide.In high season it is a lifeguarded bathing beach with heavy use, vehicle control at the access and fences on the dunes, so rig on open sand away from swimmers and protected ground.The take-off is a wide strip of rock-free sand under the pines, which points to the I Pini/north end; the Casa di Lume/south end is where the lifeguard post and the crowds are.

Hazards riders report 10 reported

Wind

offshore rocks facing the Cerbicale Islands
Anchored boats and fishing activity offshore, reportedly.
Small boats and anchored fishing boats offshore: pass wide and make yourself visible.

Crowds and zones

very crowded with swimmers/tourists in summer
Heavy swimmer and tourist crowding in summer, especially July and August.
Official supervised bathing zone extends 400 m either side of the Palombaggia rescue post in high season.

Bottom

Rocks at both ends of the beach; stay central.
Rocks and islets on the way out toward the Cerbicale Islands; keep your distance.

Protected areas and rules

Protected dunes and Conservatoire land behind/around the beach; avoid trampling fenced areas and never drive onto the site.
Posidonia banquettes are protected and used for erosion control on Porto-Vecchio beaches.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no Palombaggia-specific kite permit, corridor or seasonal order has turned up in the town, federation-map, tourism or spot-guide material searched.

The 2026 town beach information confirms a lifeguarded bathing zone in high season, 400 m on each side of the Casa di Lume rescue post; keep the kite away from the swimmers and out of that zone.

On its Palumbaggia land the Conservatoire's 2026 rules ban camping and bivouac, fires, dumping waste, and any motor vehicle; the dunes are fenced against trampling and vehicles.

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

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Do not plan a kite session in the July-August crowds; if you are there anyway, rig at the I Pini end and only if a school or the lifeguards confirm an open stretch that day.
Watch the real wind on the sand for a while before rigging; the curve of the bay and the hills behind it bend the direction along the beach.
Rig clear of swimmers, the beach restaurants, the rescue post, the fenced dunes and the pine roots; if it is busy, drive to Figari Bay or Ventilegne instead.
Stay in the middle of the beach: rocks at both ends, boats at anchor and fishing activity further out.
For lessons use Eole Figari, Corsica Kiteboarding at Ventilegne or another south Corsica school; they are set up for rescue and they pick the spot.
Tide is nothing here, 0.3-0.4 m highs in August-September 2026, so plan by wind and crowd, not by the tide table.

Getting there

Airport

Figari-Sud Corse Airport (FSC) is the closest airport, about 25 km from Palombaggia; Porto-Vecchio is about 25-30 minutes from Figari.

Route

From Porto-Vecchio drive south-east on the Palombaggia/Piccovaggia roads, about 10-12 km. In high season a public shuttle runs from Figari airport to Porto-Vecchio; for the last leg to the beach you want a car, a taxi or a transfer.

Transfer

30 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Resorts, hotels, villas, campsites and beach restaurants are concentrated around Porto-Vecchio/Palombaggia; demand and prices rise sharply in July-August.

No-wind days

Snorkeling and swimming at Palombaggia/Tamaricciu/Santa Giulia, Porto-Vecchio old town and marina, boat trips to the Cerbicale and Lavezzi islands, Bonifacio, Ospedale forest and lake, Bavella, paddle/kayak/wing/windsurf options through nearby nautical centers.

Photos

FAQ

Is Palombaggia suitable for beginners?

It is marked suitable for any level with shallow, flat-to-chop water, but in practice beginners should treat it as a shoulder-season or supervised-only venue because the beach is heavily used for swimming in high season.

What is the wind like?

South, south-southwest and southwest winds are most recommended, though an east onshore wind is also cited, so wind direction needs local confirmation on the day.

When is the best time to visit?

April through October is listed as the season, with May, June and September offering the best balance of wind and fewer crowds.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

The beach has a supervised bathing zone extending 400 m either side of the Casa di Lume rescue post in high season, and kite activity should avoid swimmers and this zone.

What are the main hazards?

Offshore rocks facing the Cerbicale Islands, heavy summer swimmer and tourist crowding, and protected dunes that should not be trampled.

The bigger pictureEverything about Corsica - Porto-Vecchio

Last updated: August 2026