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Zadar County (North Dalmatia) · Glavanci beach, Privlaka · Zadar County
Privlaka
also known as Privlaka Glavanci, Privlaka Glavanci Tabor
Nearby Sabunike under 1 km · Nin (Queen Beach / Kraljičina Plaža) 6 km · Ljubac 13 km · Pag / Šimuni 27 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
08:00 · 11:00 · 15:00 · 17:00 · 19:00 · 20:00
The Maestral is a clock you can set a lesson by. Modelled hourly wind for June to August bottoms out around 08:00 near 4 kt, doubles between 11:00 and 15:00, peaks at 15:00-17:00 near 8 kt, and is gone by 19:00-20:00. Those numbers are a coastal grid cell, so they run low against what the beach actually gets, but the shape is the point: nothing in the morning, everything from early afternoon to early evening.
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; Bora/Bura; Jugo
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: The Maestral is a clock you can set a lesson by. Modelled hourly wind for June to August bottoms out around 08:00 near 4 kt, doubles between 11:00 and 15:00, peaks at 15:00-17:00 near 8 kt, and is gone by 19:00-20:00. Those numbers are a coastal grid cell, so they run low against what the beach actually gets, but the shape is the point: nothing in the morning, everything from early afternoon to early evening.
Typical strength
10-20 kt is the usual Maestral range on this coast. The 15-25 kt figure sometimes quoted for the Privlaka club is unconfirmed; the club's own pages do not give a range.
Thermal or synoptic
both (afternoon Maestral thermal plus synoptic Bura)
Also on record
Model monthly averages come out at 5-9 kt, with 5-16 days a month at 4 Bft/12 kt or more. Those figures leave out thermal wind, so they undercount the summer Maestral.
The quiver, in words
Indicative, derived from the Maestral band rather than measured here. For a 75-85 kg rider: 12 m is the standard on a 12-16 kt afternoon, 10 m once the thermal reaches 18-20 kt, 9 m or smaller on a Bura day above 20 kt, and 15 m or a foil for the light June and September days the monthly averages are made of.
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
Summer Maestral from NW/WNW; Bora/Bura from NE and Jugo from SE also occur.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan37
- Feb25
- Mar34
- Apr33
- May, riders' month29
- Jun, riders' month22
- Jul, riders' month19
- Aug, riders' month23
- Sep, riders' month37
- Oct24
- Nov37
- Dec34
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 37%Jan14°
- 25%Feb13°
- 34%Mar14°
- 33%Apr15°
- 29%May19°
- 22%Jun23°
- 19%Jul26°
- 23%Aug26°
- 37%Sep23°
- 24%Oct21°
- 37%Nov18°
- 34%Dec15°
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 | 37% | 55% | 47% | 13.7 kt | NE | 12:00 | 7.3°C | 13.9°C | 62 |
| Feb | 25% | 39% | 35% | 11.2 kt | NW | 15:00 | 8.6°C | 13.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 34% | 48% | 45% | 12.5 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 10.3°C | 13.7°C | 62 |
| Apr | 33% | 52% | 43% | 13.8 kt | NE | 15:00 | 13.2°C | 15.1°C | 60 |
| May | 29% | 56% | 47% | 12.9 kt | NE | 15:00 | 18.9°C | 18.6°C | 62 |
| Jun | 22% | 47% | 38% | 12 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 23.6°C | 22.6°C | 60 |
| Jul | 19% | 52% | 39% | 11.7 kt | W | 15:00 | 26.9°C | 26°C | 62 |
| Aug | 23% | 71% | 52% | 12.6 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 26.4°C | 25.9°C | 62 |
| Sep | 37% | 55% | 52% | 13.4 kt | NE | 15:00 | 21°C | 23.2°C | 60 |
| Oct | 24% | 31% | 31% | 10.5 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 18.2°C | 21.3°C | 62 |
| Nov | 37% | 70% | 57% | 14.5 kt | NE | 14:00 | 12°C | 18.4°C | 60 |
| Dec | 34% | 50% | 45% | 14.3 kt | ESE | 11:00 | 9.2°C | 15.2°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
lagoon
Standing depth
Shallow, by every description, but nobody has published a depth contour or how far out you can still stand.
Tides
Small Adriatic range. The nearest tide station is Zadar, 23 km SSE, which showed about 0.02-0.39 m on 26 August 2026; Privlaka itself will differ a little.
Temperature
Summer 23.7 average summer sea temperature; August average 24.7
Winter 13.6 average winter sea temperature; February average 12.2
Wetsuit
Shorty or swimwear in summer, depending on how cold you run; a full cold-water suit in winter. That is worked out from the sea-temperature averages rather than confirmed locally.
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
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
Sabunike, under 1 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
Sandy beach with plenty of room to rig, and the launch is straight off the sand into the lagoon.
Space
huge
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ask Kitesurfing Club Maestral or Surf Club Reful where the launch actually is before rigging; the same beach gets called Privlaka, Glavanci, Glavanci Tabor, Put Bilotinjaka or Put Skornice depending on who you ask.
- Plan lessons and freeride for summer afternoons: the Maestral fills in early afternoon, peaks late and eases toward evening.
- Treat a NE Bora/Bura day as a different spot: stronger and gustier than the Maestral, and colder outside summer; not a day for a first lesson.
- Look for swimmer zones and seasonal beach signage in person; nothing is published on a kite-specific ordinance for Glavanci in 2026.
- Pack a shorty for summer and a full cold-water suit for winter; the sea averages 23.7 C in summer and 13.6 C in winter.
- Rent a car: Zadar Airport to Privlaka is about 34-36 minutes by road, while the bus needs a change at Zadar and takes about 1 h 50 min.
- Sunrise to sunset only, stay inside 300 m of the shore unless a motorboat is escorting you, and keep out of the roped bathing water. That is national rule, not local preference.
- Do not bother with a morning session in July or August. The wind bottoms out around 08:00 and does not do anything useful until about 11:00.
Getting there
Airport
Zadar Airport (ZAD)
Route
Car or taxi from Zadar or Zadar Airport. By bus you change at Zadar bus station. Nin is next door and local roads run on to Vir island.
Transfer
About 34-36 minutes by car from Zadar Airport. By bus it is a transfer plus line 101, about 1 h 50 min; there is no direct bus.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Holiday apartments in Privlaka and Nin, and in Zaton and on Vir. Check the walk to the kite beach before booking: the launch goes by several names and the distance depends on which one your host means.
No-wind days
The church of St. Vitus and the Sokolar well in the village, the long shallow beaches and coves, plus Vir and Vrsi next door. Zadar and Nin are the day trips.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kitesurf at Privlaka?
May to September is the main season, with the most reliable thermal wind between June and August; June and September are quieter and can suit improvers.
Is Privlaka suitable for beginners?
Yes, local schools and spot guides describe shallow sandy water and dedicated learning courses, making it primarily a progression and beginner-lesson venue.
What is the wind like at Privlaka?
The main summer pattern is a thermal NW/WNW Maestral around 10-20 knots that typically builds in the afternoon; NE Bora and SE Jugo also occur outside the main thermal season.
Are there kite schools at Privlaka?
Kitesurfing Club Maestral and Surf Club Reful both operate at Privlaka, offering beginner courses, trial lessons and advanced coaching.
Last updated: August 2026