MapFrancePorto-Vecchio, CorsicaPinarelluPorto-Vecchio, Corsica

Pinarellu

Metropolitan France · Corsica - Porto-Vecchio · Sainte-Lucie-de-Porto-Vecchio

also known as Pinarello, Plage de Pinarello, Plage de Pinarellu, Marina di Pinarello, Isula di i Corsi

Part of Porto-Vecchio, Corsica →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlyonshorehigh 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

May–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

under Typical strength, below

Character: mixed · onshore

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

26 °C in summerFlat water inside the protected bay

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

45 min

Figari-Sud Corse (FSC)

When it fills in

In summer the bay is usually calm in the morning and the easterly fills in through the early afternoon, easing again in the evening. Some local advice instead points to morning and late afternoon, so treat the afternoon window as likely rather than certain.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Ventilegneno page yet
Figarino page yet
Santa Giuliano page yet

The spot

Pinarellu is a long, narrow, pine-backed beach in a protected bay north of Porto-Vecchio, next to Sainte-Lucie-de-Porto-Vecchio. It works on east and north-east wind, and in summer that means a thermal arriving after lunch at 10 to 20 kt over water you can stand in almost anywhere in the bay, which suits a lesson or an easy freeride day and will bore anyone who came for wind.

Bring a 12 m. A quiver that starts at 9 m will spend days on the sand. The season is May to September, and in July and August the beach fills up: launch at the far southern end where there are fewer bathers and more room, and stay outside the buoyed bathing zone.

No statistical wind record is published for the spot, so plan off the forecast and off what the local schools tell you that morning rather than off long-term averages. No municipal order naming kitesurf at Pinarellu has surfaced for 2026 either, so the panel and the buoyage on the beach are what you ride to.

In autumn and winter swell the same shoreline works as a beach and reef break with rips and urchins around the rocks, so keep off the rocky margins and away from the island.

The wind

locals call it Vent d'Est / Nord-Est with summer thermal; Libeccio is a regional Corsica wind but is unconfirmed as a primary working wind for Pinarellu itself.

Direction

onshore

Dominant direction

E to NE is the working direction, reinforced in summer by the afternoon thermal. North is rarer and reportedly the best the bay gets. That is the working sector, not a measured climatological dominant.

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

This is a light-wind bay for most of the season. A 75-85 kg rider wants 12-13 m for a 10-14 kt thermal, 10 m around 16-18 kt and 9 m at 20 kt; a quiver that starts at 9 m will spend a lot of days on the sand.Bigger sizes are only worth flying here because the water is flat and shallow enough to walk back. Indicative: sized from the wind band, no local quiver list confirms it.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Typical strength

10-20 when the easterly or the summer thermal is working. Northerly days are rarer and reportedly the best the bay gets. Autumn and winter depressions bring far more wind to the region, but that is not the setup this bay is used for.

Good only when E/NE or the summer thermal is on. Pinarellu is an occasional east-coast option rather than a reliable one, and no statistical wind record is published for the spot.

The practical kite season is repeatedly listed as May to September. July and August bring the warmest water and most tourism pressure; spring and September should offer more beach space if wind cooperates.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

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

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

About these figuresno series

Nothing usable has been measured or modelled for this place. The months come from what riders say, or from nothing at all.

Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Shallow over a long distance and described by kite guides as standing-depth almost everywhere in the bay.

Tides

Very small Mediterranean/Corsican tidal range; nearby Porto-Vecchio examples for 2026 show roughly 0.2-0.3 m differences on typical days.

Temperature

26 °C summer · 14 °C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/rash vest in midsummer; full suit or at least 3/2 outside the warm season, with winter water around 14 °C.

Currents

No sustained current is reported inside the bay. Rips appear on the exposed beach-and-reef section when autumn or winter swell reaches it, so the risk is episodic rather than permanent.

Conditions

Flat water inside the protected bay. The outer beach-and-reef section only breaks on rare autumn and winter swell, so do not come here expecting waves.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Shallow standing-depth water and flat conditions make it workable for a beginner, but it is a public tourist beach with bathers and not much launch width, so pick the day and the end of the beach. Intermediates get easy freeride. Advanced riders can practise freestyle in the right wind, though it is not a wave spot on record.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridebeginner progressionfreestyle practicewingfoilflat water

Who it suitsbeginner

Family beach and holiday-village atmosphere; the village comes alive in high season with restaurants and beach bars, while the quieter beach end is recommended for launching.

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

VHF channel 16

No lifeguard post and no rescue boat. Pinarello is reportedly an unsupervised beach, and the schools that use the bay cover their own clients only. Emergency calls go to 196 or 112, or VHF channel 16 for CROSS MED.

Launch

Launch at the far southern end of the long narrow beach, where the bathers thin out and there is space to lay lines. Facing the sea, the kite area is at the back right of the bay. Several parking areas sit behind the beach.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Wind

small offshore island (Île de Pinarellu) and its rocks just off the beach
Small offshore island (Ile de Pinarellu) and its rocks just off the beach.

Crowds and zones

boat traffic in the bay
Narrow beach with summer bathers and beach users, especially away from the quieter southern end.
Active bay users include sailing, kayaks, paddle craft, e-foils, parasailing and boats; keep clear of traffic and moorings.
Boat traffic and moorings in the bay.
Sailing, kayaks, paddle craft, e-foils, parasailing and boats all share the bay.
Unsupervised beach: no lifeguard post and no rescue boat found for independent riders.
No marked kite channel; the buoyed bathing zone is the only zoning you can count on.

Bottom

Rocks, urchins and reef sections around the Pinarellu break; keep clear of the rocky margins and the island/peninsula.

Waves and currents

Rocks, urchins and reef/rocky areas are reported for the Pinarellu surf break; keep clear of rocky margins and the island/peninsula area.
Rips occur at the Pinarellu break when there is surf.
Rips at the Pinarellu break when there is surf.

Other

No rescue service or official kite channel on record.

Rules & access

1 min read

not confirmed
2026: no municipal order specific to kitesurfing at Pinarello was found.RulesThe general French framework applies: the mayor regulates bathing and unregistered beach craft out to 300 m from the shoreline, buoyed bathing zones are marked in season and must be kept clear, and prefectural orders can create shore access channels, reserve zones for nautical activities and impose directions of travel.Speed inside the 300 m band is limited to 5 knots unless a specific derogation exists.Read the panel and the buoyage at the beach before rigging, and treat the marked bathing zone as the hard limit.

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

Wait for E or NE. The regional Libeccio west/south-west regime is not the setup that works here.
Plan for the afternoon: mornings are usually calm and the easterly fills in early afternoon. Some local advice points at morning and late afternoon instead, so ask before you drive.
Bring the big kite; most rideable days sit between 10 and 20 kt.
Launch at the southern end, stay outside the buoyed bathing zone and give the moorings a wide berth.
In July and August check the beach zoning before rigging. This is a family beach and no kite channel has been confirmed.
Have a plan B ready. The local schools move between Pinarellu and Golfo di Sogno, Balistra, Piantarella or Ventilegne depending on the direction.

Getting there

Airport

Figari-Sud Corse (FSC) is the closest practical airport: about 37 km and about 45 minutes from Sainte-Lucie-de-Porto-Vecchio, with road transfer to Pinarellu itself given as around 41 minutes.

Route

Renting a car is the most flexible option for checking Pinarellu and alternate Corsica spots. Figari airport has year-round Berlina shuttle links to Porto-Vecchio, and local public transport connects Porto-Vecchio with Sainte-Lucie-de-Porto-Vecchio, but final beach access may still require local transport or taxi.

Transfer

45 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Beachfront hotel options include Le Pinarello; lower-key options include U Pinarellu campsite a few minutes' walk from the beach, plus villas/apartments around Pinarellu and Sainte-Lucie-de-Porto-Vecchio.

No-wind days

Kayak, SUP, pedal boat and e-foil from Sporsica; sailing/wingfoil/e-foil with the local nautical school; parasailing over the bay; the Pinarello Genoese tower and pine-fringed beaches; Cavu Valley, Aiguilles de Bavella, Porto-Vecchio beaches and Bonifacio day trips.

Photos

FAQ

Is Pinarellu suitable for beginners?

Yes; shallow, standing-depth water and flat conditions inside the bay support beginner suitability, though it remains a public tourist beach with bathers and limited launch width.

What is the wind like?

East to northeast wind is the best verified setup, at 10-20 knots when the thermal or synoptic pattern is working, though no long-term spot averages are available.

When is the best time to visit?

May through September is the documented season, with summer bringing thermal reinforcement but also heavy beach use.

What are the main hazards?

Rocks and reef near the offshore Île de Pinarellu, boat traffic in the bay, and a narrow beach with summer bathers away from the quieter southern end.

The bigger pictureEverything about Corsica - Porto-Vecchio

Last updated: August 2026