Map › Italy › Salento - Ionian coast › Torre San Giovanni

Puglia · Ugento, Ionian Salento · Lecce · Torre San Giovanni / Ugento

Torre San Giovanni

also known as Torre S. Giovanni, Locals Salento Kitesurf, Locals Crew

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Gallipoli 22 km · Torre Mozza 23 km · Porto Cesareo 46 km · Le Cesine - Torre Specchia 55 km · Frigole 63 km · Bacino di Acquatina 63 km · Campomarino di Maruggio 66 km · Al Piri 70 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-35 knotsmixed Launchlargeaccess rules on record, below Watersea26.9°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport86 minBrindisi (BDS)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Torre San Giovanni is the Locals Crew and Locals Salento home beach on the Ionian side of Ugento, in Puglia, and the water inside the line of small islands about 500 m offshore is flat and shallow. The sand is about 50 m wide, which is room enough to rig without negotiating.

It works on southerlies from SE round to W: winter Scirocco commonly 15-35 knots, summer WNW thermal 15-18 knots. Lessons, freeride, freestyle, big air: all of that works here. Waves do not, because the islands kill them.

The season is the part that catches visitors out. Beach launching is a September-May arrangement, since bathing rules and crowds close the sand to departures in summer, and in July you either take the rubber-dinghy lift out or you do not ride.

There is no rescue cover in winter, so a Scirocco session on your own is a session with no backup.

The wind

locals call it Scirocco

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

Typical strength

15-35 knots in winter Scirocco; 15-18 knots summer WNW thermal.

The summer thermal is unusual for the Salento Ionian coast and good for courses and freestyle. Winter Scirocco is the stronger and more frequent wind.

Normal beach departure runs September-May. In summer, a rubber-dinghy lift service is used because beach launching is restricted by the bathing season and crowds.

Thermal or synoptic

summer thermal and winter synoptic

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider: 7 and 10 m are the working sizes in winter Scirocco between 15 and 35 knots, and a 12 m for the 15-18 knot summer thermal from the west-northwest.

Direction to shore

The sandy stretch south of the tower and port runs northwest to southeast with the sea on its southwest side, so the summer west-northwest thermal arrives cross-onshore and the winter Scirocco from the southeast blows along the sand as side-shore, turning side-offshore if it backs any further east.Read off the run of the coastline between Gallipoli and Torre Mozza rather than from a published spot angle.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month60
Feb, riders' month42
Mar, riders' month39
Apr, riders' month30
May, riders' month29
Jun20
Jul23
Aug24
Sep, riders' month23
Oct, riders' month40
Nov, riders' month37
Dec, riders' month37

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

60%Jan15°
42%Feb15°
39%Mar15°
30%Apr16°
29%May19°
20%Jun24°
23%Jul28°
24%Aug28°
23%Sep27°
40%Oct23°
37%Nov19°
37%Dec16°

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	60%	65%	60%	14.2 kt	N	14:00	10.7°C	15°C	62
Feb	42%	53%	44%	12.6 kt	N	13:00	11.1°C	14.5°C	57
Mar	39%	60%	47%	13.4 kt	S	13:00	12.2°C	15.3°C	62
Apr	30%	42%	38%	11.7 kt	NW	13:00	15.2°C	16.4°C	60
May	29%	48%	39%	11.9 kt	SE	12:00	19.6°C	18.9°C	62
Jun	20%	37%	25%	10.5 kt	N	13:00	25.6°C	23.9°C	60
Jul	23%	50%	45%	10.9 kt	NNW	13:00	29.3°C	27.7°C	62
Aug	24%	61%	44%	11.4 kt	WNW	13:00	28.1°C	28.1°C	62
Sep	23%	50%	40%	11.4 kt	SSE	13:00	24.2°C	26.5°C	60
Oct	40%	52%	48%	11.6 kt	N	13:00	20.4°C	23°C	62
Nov	37%	50%	43%	12.5 kt	N	12:00	15.7°C	19.1°C	60
Dec	37%	55%	50%	12.4 kt	N	12:00	12.5°C	16.3°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 over very fine white sand inside the line of small islands about 500 m off the beach. No measured depth is published, and nobody states at what point you stop touching the bottom.

Temperature

26.9°C summer · 13.7°C winter

Wetsuit

Warm water in summer; winter water around 14 C normally calls for a full wetsuit.

15–28°C water

Wide sandy Ionian beach with flat, sandy and shallow water inside the line of small offshore islands. The sandy beach is about 50 m wide.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Flat shallow water behind the islands, with courses running for beginners upward. Summer beach launching is not simple for a beginner without the school lift.

The scene

What riders come here for

lessonsfreeridefreestylebig airflat water

School-centred Salento beach. Outside the bathing season it is quiet and practical for an independent launch; in summer it is a resort beach.

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

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Gallipoli, 22 km

Gallipoli Torre Mozza Porto Cesareo

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

Rescue

No rescue in winter. During the summer lift service, rubber-dinghy assistance is guaranteed.

Launch

Wide sandy beach by the Locals Crew and Locals Salento base and Lido Coco Loco. Beach launching runs September-May; in summer a rubber-dinghy lift goes out from the beach near Lido Coco Loco.

Space

large

Rules & access

2026: Regione Puglia approved the regional bathing ordinance with Determinazione n. 215 of 15 April 2026 for tourist-recreational maritime-domain activities and bathing-season use. At Torre San Giovanni, beach departure is tied to September-May; in summer kiteboarding from the beach is not allowed and the school runs a rubber-dinghy lift and course service instead.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Plan independent beach launches for September-May and confirm the current corridor situation before you drive down.
In summer, book the rubber-dinghy lift instead of trying to launch through bathers.
Ride inside the islands about 500 m out for the flat water.
Bring 7 and 10 m for winter Scirocco and a 12 m for the summer thermal.
Carry your own safety plan in winter, because there is no rescue cover then.

Getting there

Airport

Brindisi (BDS)

Route

Brindisi airport is the nearest at 86.6 km, with bus access via Lecce. The launch is about 3 km from town.

Transfer

86 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Summer brings hotels, B&Bs, villages, resorts, farm stays, camping, vacation homes; in winter it is mainly B&Bs and vacation homes.

No-wind days

SUP · wakeboarding · windsurfing · Salento beaches · Ugento · Gallipoli · Santa Maria di Leuca

Photos

L07 889 Torre San Giovanni — Falk2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Torre San Giovanni suitable for beginners?

Yes, the local school runs courses in the flat, shallow water behind the offshore islands for any level.

What is the wind like?

Winter Scirocco commonly reaches 15-35 knots, while the summer WNW thermal is lighter, around 15-18 knots.

Can you launch from the beach in summer?

Beach launching normally runs September to May; in summer the local school uses a rubber-dinghy lift service instead because of bathing-season restrictions.

Is rescue available?

The school reports no winter rescue service, while rubber-dinghy assistance is guaranteed during the summer lift service.

Last updated: August 2026