Riding essentials
Season
Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov
Months riders and schools name
How windy
15-18 kt
Character: mixed
Room to launch
huge
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
24.8 °C in summerLong sandy south-coast beach with clear water
Hazards
4
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy June July August September
Schools
none named here
From the airport
92 min
Catania-Fontanarossa (CTA)
When it fills in
Around midday, usually strongest in late afternoon for the W Ponente thermal.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Pozzallo / Tiki Beach
- Punta Cirica / Cozzo Cirigano page yet
- Portopalo di Capo Passerono page yet
The spot
Location and setup
Water conditions
Thermal wind
Seasons and conditions
Rescue and corridors
The wind
locals call it Ponente; Libeccio; Ostro
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
SSW, SW, WSW; W thermals are locally highlighted
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, worked out from the reported wind range and not from a local count: 12 m at the 15 kt end of the thermal, 9-10 m once it settles into 17-18 kt, 7 m on the days the Ponente pushes 25 kt.
Character
Typical strength
15-18 kt in the March-September thermal season, with many W thermal days reported around 25 kt
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan37
- Feb40
- Mar, riders' month55
- Apr, riders' month57
- May, riders' month40
- Jun, riders' month27
- Jul, riders' month26
- Aug27
- Sep, riders' month35
- Oct, riders' month18
- Nov, riders' month37
- Dec35
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 37%Jan16°
- 40%Feb15°
- 55%Mar16°
- 57%Apr17°
- 40%May19°
- 27%Jun24°
- 26%Jul27°
- 27%Aug28°
- 35%Sep27°
- 18%Oct24°
- 37%Nov21°
- 35%Dec18°
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 | 37% | 52% | 44% | 12.1 kt | W | 15:00 | 11.8 °C | 16 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 40% | 54% | 46% | 12.5 kt | W | 16:00 | 12.1 °C | 15.4 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 55% | 74% | 66% | 14 kt | W | 15:00 | 13.7 °C | 15.7 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 57% | 75% | 68% | 14.5 kt | W | 15:00 | 15.9 °C | 17 °C | 60 |
| May | 40% | 45% | 44% | 12.1 kt | ENE | 14:00 | 19.3 °C | 19.3 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 27% | 45% | 38% | 10.8 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 24.9 °C | 23.5 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 26% | 32% | 27% | 9.9 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 28.4 °C | 27.1 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 27% | 35% | 34% | 11 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 27.7 °C | 28.3 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 35% | 47% | 40% | 12 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 24.9 °C | 26.6 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 18% | 19% | 19% | 9.1 kt | W | 15:00 | 21.7 °C | 24 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 37% | 57% | 47% | 12 kt | W | 14:00 | 17.4 °C | 21.2 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 35% | 50% | 47% | 11.8 kt | W | 15:00 | 13.9 °C | 17.8 °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
Shallow, with standing depth reportedly reaching about 100 m from shore.
Tides
Tide independent.
Temperature
24.8 °C summer · 16.1 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 15–28 °C
Wetsuit
Boardshorts or light summer protection in high summer; a 3/2 mm wetsuit is recommended in spring, and winter requires a wetsuit.
Currents
No current is reported in the kite area. The Rio Favara mouth sits at the end of the beach by the big sandy Lido Otello parking, and nothing has been published about what its outflow does after rain.
Conditions
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: huge
Somewhere else
5 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Wide sandy beach; during the bathing season, the kite zone is at Zuma Beach and sometimes Tiki Beach. Outside the busy season, launch from the beach near the large sandy parking area by Lido Otello.
Rules & access
1 min read
Bathing-safety rules
Designated zones
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
- Ask at Floripa or Zuma where the kite corridor runs before you pump up.
- Do not treat the whole 5 km beach as a free launch in summer; swimmer density and corridor rules both matter.
- Wait the morning out: the W Ponente thermal usually builds after midday.
- Bring a car for the other south-coast beaches and for Val di Noto on no-wind days.
- Come in winter and expect a different beach: services closed, systems stronger and gustier, surf bigger.
- Out of season the launch is the big sandy lot at Lido Otello; park there and walk on, and expect drifted sand on the track in.
- Rescue cover comes with the beach season. Between November and April there is nobody on the sand, so ride with someone.
- Rig for 15-18 kt as the normal day and keep a 7 m in the van for the 25 kt Ponente afternoons.
Getting there
Airport
Catania-Fontanarossa (CTA) is the main recommended airport; Comiso (CIY) is closer but with fewer routes.
Route
From Catania Airport it is about 114 km and about 1 h 32 min by car. There is an AST bus from Catania Airport to Ispica every four hours, then a local transfer or taxi down to the beach.
Transfer
92 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Beach houses, apartments, campsites and the Floripa Yoga & Kitesurf House/Zuma Beach setup are near the spot; Pozzallo and Ispica add more services and accommodation.
No-wind days
Beach, SUP, surf or yoga at Zuma or Floripa; cycling and walking along the coast; Punta Cirica and Cozzo Ciriga; Pozzallo; the Val di Noto towns: Noto, Modica, Ragusa Ibla.
Photos
FAQ
Is Santa Maria del Focallo good for beginners?
Yes, the shallow sandy water and the school and kite zone at Zuma Beach make it suitable for beginners and intermediates, with advanced riders using it for freeride and small-wave sessions outside summer.
What is the wind like?
The main wind is the W Ponente thermal, which typically builds around midday and is strongest in late afternoon, often reaching about 25 knots on thermal days; the best months run March to September.
Are there kite schools?
Yes, a kite school and beach club operate at Zuma Beach in season, though off-season services can be closed.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
A 2025 coast-guard ordinance reserves the water within 200 m of shore for bathers during the season and requires kitesurf transit through launch corridors at least 40 m wide, with riders directed to the Zuma Beach or Tiki Beach kite zones from June to September.
Last updated: August 2026