Nearby Porto Pollo - Plage du Taravo 23 km · Plage de Capu Laurosu 29 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Thermal days fill in during the afternoon and run into the early evening at 10-20 kt. Depression wind in autumn and winter is not tied to a time of day and can be blowing from first light.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Thermal days fill in during the afternoon and run into the early evening at 10-20 kt. Depression wind in autumn and winter is not tied to a time of day and can be blowing from first light.
Typical strength
15-21 knots
Thermal or synoptic
summer thermal and synoptic
Also on record
21.3 kt (one published average, unconfirmed).
The quiver, in words
Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider; no published quiver exists for this beach. 12 m at the bottom of the summer thermal around 10-15 kt, 9-10 m once the afternoon breeze settles at 15-20 kt, 7-8 m for the autumn and winter depressions that make the good months here.On a foil you are out in a lot less than any of that, which is part of why the spot runs on foils.
Direction to shore
Side-on to side-shore in the S, SE and SW sectors, S-SW being the one the locals want. W is offshore here: treat it as a drift-risk direction rather than a cross-shore one, and ask on the beach before you go out in it.
Dominant direction
S, SE, SW or W; S-SW is the one the locals prefer.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season
- Jan, riders' month3
- Feb, riders' month0
- Mar, riders' month3
- Apr, riders' month2
- May2
- Jun0
- Jul2
- Aug2
- Sep, riders' month0
- Oct0
- Nov, riders' month8
- Dec3
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep, Nov.
The model is wrong here
The model reads 8% 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 | 3% | 6% | 6% | 5.5 kt | ESE | 08:00 | 9.3°C | 15.5°C | 62 |
| Feb | 0% | 2% | 0% | 5.1 kt | ESE | 08:00 | 9.7°C | 14.7°C | 57 |
| Mar | 3% | 10% | 6% | 6.3 kt | ESE | 13:00 | 11.5°C | 14.8°C | 62 |
| Apr | 2% | 8% | 5% | 6.5 kt | ESE | 13:00 | 13.5°C | 16.1°C | 60 |
| May | 2% | 2% | 2% | 5.5 kt | W | 13:00 | 18.1°C | 19.2°C | 62 |
| Jun | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5.6 kt | W | 14:00 | 23.2°C | 23.6°C | 60 |
| Jul | 2% | 2% | 2% | 5.5 kt | W | 14:00 | 26.4°C | 26.1°C | 62 |
| Aug | 2% | 2% | 2% | 5.6 kt | W | 14:00 | 25.7°C | 26.7°C | 62 |
| Sep | 0% | 7% | 2% | 5.7 kt | W | 13:00 | 21.5°C | 23.8°C | 60 |
| Oct | 0% | 5% | 2% | 5.5 kt | ESE | 08:00 | 18.8°C | 21.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 8% | 15% | 13% | 6.4 kt | ESE | 08:00 | 14°C | 19.9°C | 60 |
| Dec | 3% | 8% | 6% | 5.7 kt | ESE | 07:00 | 10.4°C | 16.9°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
Standing depth
You can stand in the shallows right off the sand, but the bottom drops away quickly a short way out, so the standing band is narrow rather than a safety net. It is the same at any state of tide.
Tides
Mediterranean micro-tide. High and low water are both rideable and nothing about launching or landing depends on the state of the tide.
Temperature
25°C summer · 13.7°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer usually light neoprene or no wetsuit depending on wind chill; winter full suit around 4/3 is prudent for 13-14 C water.
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: wide
Somewhere else
Porto Pollo - Plage du Taravo, 23 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
VHF channel 16
Launch
Direct sand launch from the long Ricanto beach, using the locally posted kite sector and avoiding airport, port, swimming and artificial-reef exclusion areas.
Space
wide
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Read the kite-sector signs on the beach before you rig; do not trust an online description of where the sector runs.
- Stay off the runway frontage, out of the port approaches and outside the artificial-reef circles.
- Foilers: there are reef modules on the bottom off Ricantu, some inside restricted zones. Know where they are before you put a mast in.
- In strong wind stand and watch the shore break for a few minutes before launching; getting back in is the hard part.
- Ask Kitesphere or the riders on the beach which part of the 300 m band is being used for kites right now.
- Mind the lamp posts and the road behind some of the launch sectors when you self-launch.
- Come in winter or spring. The summer thermal is the weak version of this place; the depression months are the reason to book.
- If something goes wrong offshore the number is 196, or VHF 16 if you have a radio in the car.
Getting there
Airport
Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport, immediately behind/near the Ricanto beach area.
Route
Ricanto is just south of Ajaccio along the Route du Ricanto, right beside the airport: about 5 minutes by road from the terminal and 10-15 minutes from the centre of town. There is parking along the coast road and a bus from the airport towards the town, so a car is convenient but not essential.
Transfer
5 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Hotels or apartments in Ajaccio itself, beach stays in Porticcio or around Campo dell'Oro. Unlike the Valinco beaches, a lot of it sits on a bus route.
No-wind days
Ajaccio old town and port, Iles Sanguinaires/Parata trips, Porticcio beaches, stand-up paddle or wingfoil in light wind, snorkeling, boat excursions and museums.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Ricanto?
January to April, September and November are named as favorable months, and a regular late-afternoon thermal around 15-20 knots can also work in summer.
Is Ricanto suitable for beginners?
No; the spot is rated intermediate and above because of shore break, fast-deepening water, regulated sectors and airport and port exclusions.
What is the wind like at Ricanto?
South, southeast, southwest and west directions are used, with south-southwest described as preferred; typical wind runs around 15-21 knots.
Are there rules or restricted zones at Ricanto?
A regulation around the artificial reef near Ajaccio airport sets closed and restricted zones within 300 m of the reef, and kitesurfers must use posted local kite sectors while avoiding the airport and port.
What hazards should riders watch for at Ricanto?
Airport runway exclusion zones, port traffic, shore break in stronger wind, and rocks or artificial reef structures are the main reported hazards.
Last updated: August 2026