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Abruzzo · Ortona south of the harbour · Chieti · Ortona

Spiaggia dei Saraceni

also known as Ortona Lido Saraceni, Lido Saraceni

advanced only

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Stazione di Tollo 9 km · Fossacesia Marina 13 km · Francavilla Foro 14 km · Pescara Portanuova 20 km · Madonnina di Pescara 21 km · Casalbordino 26 km · Tortuga Montesilvano 26 km · Marina di Vasto 40 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Septhe months riders and schools name How windyno knot figure published Launchmediumno access rules on record Watersea26.6°C in summer · 14 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airport22 minPescara Abruzzo Airport (PSR)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Spiaggia dei Saraceni is the sandy strip just south of Ortona harbour, about 300 m long and wide enough for a medium launch. The water is shallow over a big flat area and choppy most days, though Tramontana and Grecale can build cleaner waves, with 1.5-3.5 m quoted on the best of them.

It reads as an intermediate and expert beach rather than a place to learn. Bora is the one to watch: it comes offshore here, and no rescue cover has been published for the launch.

It sits on the Abruzzo Adriatic coast, on the Costa dei Trabocchi, so the fishing platforms are part of the picture, along with rocks in places and a shore break. The seasons do not agree: May through September is the most-quoted window, spring to winter is the other answer, and nothing reconciles them.

June, July and August mean bathers on the sand, so those are the months where finding a clear launch is the whole problem. Water runs 26.6 C in summer and 12.2 C in winter, lycra from May to September and a wetsuit October to May.

The wind

locals call it Tramontana, Grecale, Bora

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Wind quality is poorly documented for this beach; character, average strength and onset time are all unconfirmed.

May through September is the most-quoted window, and spring to winter is the other answer. The conflict is unresolved.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Direction to shore

The beach south of the harbour faces roughly east-northeast, with the coast running NNW-SSE. Tramontana from the north arrives cross-shore with an onshore lean; the northeast Grecale is close to straight onshore; west and southwest are the offshore sectors.Derived from the coast orientation rather than measured or reported at the launch, and it does not square with the offshore-Bora warning carried in some spot data for this beach.

Dominant direction

N Tramontana and NE Grecale work; Bora is offshore and a hazard. No single main or best direction has been established.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan33
Feb28
Mar30
Apr33
May, riders' month17
Jun, riders' month14
Jul, riders' month10
Aug, riders' month14
Sep, riders' month24
Oct14
Nov33
Dec24

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

10Jan12°
10Feb12°
10Mar14°
10Apr16°
9May19°
9Jun24°
9Jul28°
9Aug29°
9Sep26°
8Oct22°
10Nov18°
9Dec14°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	33%	9.8 kt	WNW	8.2°C	12°C
Feb	28%	9.6 kt	WNW	9°C	11.7°C
Mar	30%	9.6 kt	NW	10.6°C	13.6°C
Apr	33%	10.1 kt	NW	13.1°C	15.7°C
May	17%	8.8 kt	NW	18.1°C	18.9°C
Jun	14%	8.8 kt	ESE	23.1°C	24.1°C
Jul	10%	8.9 kt	NNW	26.8°C	28.3°C
Aug	14%	8.9 kt	NW	26.1°C	28.7°C
Sep	24%	9.4 kt	NW	21.6°C	25.9°C
Oct	14%	8 kt	NW	18.8°C	22°C
Nov	33%	10 kt	WNW	13.1°C	17.8°C
Dec	24%	9.2 kt	WNW	9.7°C	13.7°C

modelled

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

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

sea

Standing depth

Big shallow area.

Tides

Tide independent.

Temperature

26.6°C summer · 12.2°C winter

Wetsuit

Lycra/shorts in the May-September warm season; wetsuit needed October-May.

12–29°C water

Sandy Adriatic beach with shallow flat-to-choppy water, though wave conditions are also reported with Tramontana/Grecale.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate and expert. Nothing in the record grades it as a beginner beach.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterchopfreestylewingfoilwindsurfwaves

Beach-visitor pressure in summer; outside peak bathing months, heavy kite crowds are not reported.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

Stazione di Tollo, 9 km

Stazione di Tollo Fossacesia Marina Francavilla Foro

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

Nothing organised for kiters. Sea emergencies go to 1530, the coast guard line, and 112 routes there too. Summer lifeguards on this coast belong to the beach concessions rather than to the launch, and from October to May there is no cover at all, which is exactly the half of the year the wave conditions favour.

Ride with someone else on the beach.

Launch

Medium sandy launch on the roughly 300 m strip just south of Ortona harbour, wide enough to lay a kite out well back from the water. Parking runs along the coastal road with spaces right by the sand on a stretch that has stayed undeveloped; showers and food are on the beach.Access is off the Ortona exit, down toward the port, then south past the mole.

Space

medium

Hazards riders report 14

summer beach users
summer bathers
Bora blows offshore here
shore break
rocks in places
trabocchi fishing structures to avoid
Capitaneria enforcement on this stretch
Summer beach users, June through August.
Bora is flagged as blowing offshore here, which conflicts with the north and northeast directions the spot is said to work in - treat any Bora day as unresolved and check on the sand.
Shore break.
Rocks in places.
Trabocchi fishing structures to avoid, upwind and down.
Capitaneria enforcement on this stretch.
No lifeguard or rescue boat at the launch; concession lifeguards cover the bathing season only, and nothing covers October to May.

Rider tips

Do not launch anywhere near swimmers in June, July and August.
Park and walk south of the harbour; the usable beach is the roughly 300 m strip below it.
Treat a Bora setup as offshore and skip it unless local riders confirm rescue and a drift plan.
Give the trabocchi a wide berth, upwind and down.
Wetsuit from October to May; lycra or shorts will do May to September.
Parking is along the coastal road with spaces beside the sand, and there are showers and food on the beach, so you can rig and change without leaving the strip.
Save 1530 before you go. The only rescue outside the bathing season is a phone call.

Getting there

Airport

Pescara Abruzzo Airport (PSR)

Route

Drive south from Pescara on the A14 toward Ortona and pick up the beach just south of the harbour. Ortona to Pescara Abruzzo Airport is 26 km straight-line and 32.9 km by road.

Transfer

22 min

No-wind days

The Costa dei Trabocchi and its fishing platforms fill a windless day, and Ortona has the historic port and castle area to walk.

Photos

View of Ripari Bardella — Melirius, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Spiaggia dei Saraceni suitable for beginners?

No, the spot is listed for intermediate and expert riders rather than beginners.

What is the wind like?

Tramontana from the north and Grecale from the north-east are the working winds, while Bora is flagged as a hazardous offshore direction; May to September is the most commonly cited season.

What hazards should riders know about?

Hazards include offshore Bora wind, shore break, rocks in places, and nearby trabocchi fishing structures to avoid.

Last updated: August 2026