Map › Italy › Salento - Ionian coast › Torre Mozza
Puglia · Ugento, Ionian Salento · Lecce · Ugento
Torre Mozza
Nearby Gallipoli under 1 km · Torre San Giovanni 23 km · Porto Cesareo 24 km · Le Cesine - Torre Specchia 44 km · Campomarino di Maruggio 45 km · Frigole 47 km · Bacino di Acquatina 47 km · Al Piri 49 km · straight-line distance
thermal W-NW
10:00 · 15:00
The Ionian thermal between Torre San Giovanni and Torre Mozza generally blows from 10:00 to 15:00.
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 thermal W-NW; Scirocco in autumn/winter
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: The Ionian thermal between Torre San Giovanni and Torre Mozza generally blows from 10:00 to 15:00.
Typical strength
15-20 knots for the summer thermal, reportedly 15-18 knots around Torre Mozza and Torre San Giovanni.
Thermal or synoptic
thermal
The quiver, in words
Indicative, carried over from Torre San Giovanni a few kilometres up the same coast rather than measured at Torre Mozza. For a 75-85 kg rider: about 12 m for the 15-18 kt summer thermal from May to September, and 7 to 10 m for the S-SE winter Scirocco, which runs anywhere from 15 to 35 kt between October and April.Take the 7 m seriously in winter, because the wind that builds the waves also overpowers a 10 m.
Direction to shore
side-onshore for the commonly cited learning conditions
Dominant direction
W-NW / ONO in summer; S-SE during autumn-winter Scirocco episodes
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan42
- Feb40
- Mar37
- Apr, riders' month33
- May, riders' month34
- Jun, riders' month18
- Jul, riders' month21
- Aug, riders' month13
- Sep, riders' month23
- Oct, riders' month32
- Nov, riders' month30
- Dec31
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 42%Jan15°
- 40%Feb15°
- 37%Mar15°
- 33%Apr16°
- 34%May19°
- 18%Jun24°
- 21%Jul28°
- 13%Aug28°
- 23%Sep27°
- 32%Oct23°
- 30%Nov20°
- 31%Dec17°
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 | 42% | 60% | 56% | 12.6 kt | N | 14:00 | 10.9°C | 15.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 40% | 49% | 44% | 11.9 kt | N | 13:00 | 11.2°C | 14.5°C | 57 |
| Mar | 37% | 55% | 42% | 12.7 kt | S | 14:00 | 12.2°C | 15.3°C | 62 |
| Apr | 33% | 47% | 38% | 11.2 kt | W | 14:00 | 15.1°C | 16.4°C | 60 |
| May | 34% | 50% | 40% | 11.6 kt | S | 14:00 | 19.6°C | 18.8°C | 62 |
| Jun | 18% | 32% | 23% | 10.2 kt | N | 15:00 | 25.2°C | 23.9°C | 60 |
| Jul | 21% | 40% | 24% | 10.5 kt | N | 15:00 | 28.9°C | 27.8°C | 62 |
| Aug | 13% | 40% | 23% | 10.5 kt | N | 14:00 | 28°C | 28°C | 62 |
| Sep | 23% | 48% | 33% | 11.4 kt | N | 14:00 | 24.2°C | 26.5°C | 60 |
| Oct | 32% | 50% | 42% | 10.9 kt | N | 14:00 | 20.6°C | 23.4°C | 62 |
| Nov | 30% | 47% | 40% | 11.6 kt | N | 13:00 | 15.9°C | 19.5°C | 60 |
| Dec | 31% | 47% | 37% | 11.6 kt | N | 13:00 | 12.7°C | 16.5°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
sea
Standing depth
Flat, shallow water; no measured standing-depth distance is confirmed.
Tides
Barely a factor. Two highs and two lows a day with a range of roughly 10 to 20 cm on the Ionian side of Salento; nearby Gallipoli tables show a high of about 0.14 m against lows of 0.01 to 0.04 m.Wind and air pressure move the water level here more than the moon does, and a hard Scirocco piles water up on the beach.
Temperature
25.3°C summer · 14.7°C winter
Wetsuit
Usually boardshorts or a shorty in peak summer; a full wetsuit is needed in winter water around 15 C.
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
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Sandy and open outside the bathing season. From 23 May to 13 September the constraint is not room on the sand but the first 200 metres of water, which is reserved for bathers, so a marked launch corridor is what decides whether you ride.
Somewhere else
Gallipoli, under 1 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Sandy beach at Torre Mozza on the Ugento coast. An authorized Locals Crew corridor existed here in 2015; no 2026 Torre Mozza corridor map is published.
Space
Sandy and open outside the bathing season. From 23 May to 13 September the constraint is not room on the sand but the first 200 metres of water, which is reserved for bathers, so a marked launch corridor is what decides whether you ride.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Confirm the active launch corridor with the Locals Salento base or the beach signage before you ride in summer.
- Time your session for the 10:00 to 15:00 thermal window.
- Use the W-NW thermal for lessons and freestyle; winter Scirocco wave days are not beginner conditions.
- Keep Torre San Giovanni in reserve, because the two beaches work in the same wind.
- Stay off the water at peak bathing hours unless a kite corridor is clearly marked.
- Confirm the active launch corridor with the local school base or the beach signage before you ride in summer; without one, the first 200 m of water belongs to bathers from 23 May to 13 September.
- Pack around 12 m for the summer thermal and 7 to 10 m for the winter Scirocco if you are 75-85 kg.
- Do not count on rescue in winter; that is the season with no cover and the strongest wind.
- Come in May or September for the thermal without the umbrellas.
Getting there
Airport
Brindisi Airport (BDS); Bari Airport (BRI) is a farther alternative.
Route
Car or pre-booked transfer is the practical option with kite gear on the southern Salento coast.
Transfer
90 min
Cost level
medium; higher in July-August
Staying
Torre Mozza, Torre San Giovanni, Ugento and nearby Salento beach villages have hotels, villages, lidi and holiday apartments; Torre Mozza is strongly seasonal.
No-wind days
Ugento beaches · Torre San Giovanni · Gallipoli · Porto Cesareo · Leuca and the lower Salento coast
FAQ
Is Torre Mozza suitable for beginners?
Yes, the flat, shallow, side-onshore summer conditions at 15-20 knots are supported for learning.
What is the wind like?
A W-NW thermal blows in summer, typically 15-20 knots between about 10:00 and 15:00, while autumn and winter bring stronger SE Scirocco with waves.
When is the best time to go?
April through November covers the main thermal season, with October to April bringing stronger winter winds.
Are there rules to follow?
The 2026 Puglia regional bathing ordinance governs beach use in season; a local launch corridor was reported in 2015 but current status was not verified.
Last updated: August 2026