MapItalyGarganoVieste / Scialmarino (Gargano)Gargano

Vieste / Scialmarino (Gargano)

Apulia · Gargano · Foggia · Vieste

also known as Capo Vieste, Spiaggia Lunga, Santa Maria di Merino Bay

Part of Gargano →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

May–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-20 knots

Character: mixed

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

24–27 °C in summerScialmarino, or Spiaggia Lunga, is a long sandy bay

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Foggia Gino Lisa is about 73 km from Vieste for limited domestic/regional service

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

On summer thermal days the wind usually fills in during the early afternoon and is strongest from early to late afternoon. Scirocco also tends to come into the bay in the afternoon rather than the morning.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

San Lorenzo beach, Viesteno page yet
Crovaticono page yet
La Chiancano page yet
Cala Azzurrano page yet
Baia di Campino page yet
Peschici coastno page yet

The spot

Scialmarino, also called Spiaggia Lunga, is the long sandy bay north-west of Vieste on the Gargano coast, roughly 4-7 km from town depending on the section you drive to. It is an established kite area, with resident schools and beach villages at Capo Vieste, Spiaggia Lunga, Cala Azzurra and La Chianca.

Wind conditions

The usual summer setup is a Maestrale coming in side or side-on, often helped by the Gargano thermal effects, while Scirocco and Tramontana or Grecale turn the sea from freeride chop into wave conditions.

Lessons and crowds

The water is mostly sandy, shallow and forgiving in the managed school zones, which is why so many people learn here, but in high season an independent rider is not on a free-open beach: the launch means corridors, distance from bathers, a life jacket, a line knife and a body-drag out.

Best months

May, June and September are the months to come for space; July and August bring the full tourist infrastructure and reportedly reliable wind, plus swimmers everywhere. The 2025 Guardia Costiera rules and the six public corridors the town opened in 2026 are the frame you ride inside.

The wind

locals call it Maestrale, Tramontana/Grecale, Scirocco

Direction

cross-onNW Maestrale in summer

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

NW Maestrale in summer, with N/NE Tramontana-Grecale wave days and SE Scirocco episodes

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For 75-85 kg: 12 m for the ordinary 15-20 knot thermal, 9 m once a Maestrale settles into the 20-25 band, 7 m for the 25-30 knot top end. On a soft afternoon a light-wind kite or a foil is the difference between a session and a wait on the sand.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

6.5-15 (observed near shore, gustier)

Typical strength

Summer thermals commonly run 15-20 knots from the NW and not rarely pass 18-20 in the afternoon; a proper Maestrale episode goes 20-30 and Scirocco 15-25. Right at the beach at Capo Vieste the same day can read far lower and far gustier: 6.5-15 knots was measured close inshore across two August sessions.

Moderate, constant and side to side-on across most of the bay. Capo Vieste is the exception: gusty, with wind holes near the beach, and better the farther offshore you get.

May, June and September are the rider's months, combining good wind, good weather and lower crowds. Schools and courses run through the main warm season, and July and August report the strongest wind yield along with the heaviest crowding and the tightest bathing-season corridor rules.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

11 ktJan13°
11 ktFeb13°
10 ktMar13°
9 ktApr14°
8 ktMay18°
8 ktJun22°
8 ktJul24°
8 ktAug26°
8 ktSep23°
9 ktOct20°
10 ktNov17°
11 ktDec14°

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

Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Jun, Jul, Aug, May, Sep).

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

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	10.6 kt	N	11.7 °C	13.3 °C
Feb	10.7 kt	N	11.1 °C	12.8 °C
Mar	10.1 kt	N	13.3 °C	13.3 °C
Apr	9.1 kt	N/S transitional	15.6 °C	14.4 °C
May	7.9 kt	N	20 °C	17.8 °C
Jun	7.6 kt	N	23.9 °C	21.7 °C
Jul	7.6 kt	N	26.7 °C	24.4 °C
Aug	7.6 kt	N	26.7 °C	25.6 °C
Sep	8.1 kt	N	23.3 °C	23.3 °C
Oct	8.9 kt	N	20 °C	20 °C
Nov	10.2 kt	S	15.6 °C	16.7 °C
Dec	10.9 kt	N	12.8 °C	14.4 °C

How this is modelledmodelled

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

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.

Vieste (WeatherSpark modeled climatology) · weatherspark

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Gently sloping sandy beach; shallow water and a waist-deep training lagoon around the La Chianca/Garganosurf area, but this should not be assumed for every launch on the 3-4 km bay.

Tides

Not a major planning factor; tide is considered indifferent.

Temperature

Summer (°C) 24–27 °C at Capo Vieste, peaking around early August; Vieste August averages about 26–27 °C in sea-temperature datasets.

Winter (°C) 13–14 °C at Capo Vieste in mid-February; Vieste winter average about 13 °C.

Modelled monthly average: 13–26 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/rash vest or shorty in high summer; 4/3 mm with boots, possibly 5/3 mm for long or windy winter sessions.

Currents

No rip channels are documented on the Scialmarino sand; the bay is long, gently shelving and usually benign. The known current problem is at Crovatico, further along the same coast, where north wind drives a current towards the rocks and the section is avoided in summer.

Conditions

Scialmarino, or Spiaggia Lunga, is a long sandy bay.

Depending on wind direction and strength it runs from relatively flat close to shore, to choppy with small wind waves, to wave-oriented in stronger northerly or easterly systems.

The water is clear over a sandy bottom along a long beach; in the busy season watch the swimmers, the buoys and the currents.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Read the beginner rating as school-supervised training in the shallow, managed areas. Independent beginners should be cautious in July and August: launches have to use the corridors, the beach is busy, and the near-shore wind at Capo Vieste is reportedly gusty with holes in it. Intermediates and advanced riders get freeride, foil and occasional wave conditions.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediatefreeridewavesfreestylefoilfamily beach basesmall waveswave riding on stronger northerly/easterly systems

Who it suitslessons

Beach villages and campsites with schools, storage and pick-up services on site. The shoulder months are quiet; in August the sand goes under swimmers and umbrellas.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

9 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Garganosurf at Isola La Chianca keeps a motor boat ready for emergencies, and a recovery service is among the Spiaggia Lunga services. The emergency numbers under the Vieste Guardia Costiera regulation are 112 and the maritime blue number 1530.

Launch

Sandy launches along Scialmarino/Spiaggia Lunga and Capo Vieste.Six public-use launch corridors run on the free-beach stretches in front of the main schools and sports centres: Le Diomedee, Spiaggia Lunga, Capo Vieste, Calazzurra, Centro Vacanze Oriente and Camping Baia di Campi.Each is 30 m wide and runs about 200 m seaward, with a strip of beach behind it reserved for rigging; buoys and signage are put in and maintained by the local sports associations.Bathing and crossing the corridor on foot are prohibited inside it.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Wind

severe wind instability and stall risk near shore
Gusts and wind holes near shore at Capo Vieste, reported in an older independent measurement and not confirmed since.

Crowds and zones

crowded with swimmers in peak season
risk of kite-line entanglement in busy periods
Peak-season swimmers and dense beach-club traffic along the bay.

Waves and currents

Northerly and easterly systems can produce waves and shorebreak; stronger Scirocco can add swell.
Tramontana can build serious sea along Spiaggia Lunga, with wave heights up to about 4 m described for north-wind days.
At Crovatico, along the same coast, north wind drives a current onto the rocks; the section is avoided in summer for that reason.

Protected areas and rules

Heavy maritime and beach-club traffic. A fine of up to EUR 2,000 is quoted, but the 2025 Vieste regulation does not carry that amount and the figure is unconfirmed.
Mandatory launch corridors during the bathing season; outside-corridor launches or riding inside bathing areas risk enforcement.
One kitesurf at a time is permitted in the first 100 m of kite corridors under the Vieste Guardia Costiera regulation.
Kite lines and multiple kites on a crowded beach: in the 2026 public corridors no more than two kites may be rigged on the sand at the same time.
Port approaches, anchorages, navigation routes, maritime marks, divers and fishing installations are prohibited/avoidance areas under the Vieste diporto regulation.

Other

Violent summer weather is part of the local record here: hail in the middle of August and waterspouts.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: Regione Puglia approved the regional bathing ordinance with Determinazione n. 215 of 15 Apr 2026.

Public launch corridors

2026: the Comune di Vieste created six public-use launch corridors for kitesurf, windsurf, surf, SUP and kayak on the free beaches at Scialmarino and Baia di Campi - Le Diomedee, Spiaggia Lunga, Capo Vieste, Calazzurra, Centro Vacanze Oriente and Camping Baia di Campi - valid until 30 September 2026.

Each corridor is 30 m wide and runs about 200 m offshore, with a reserved beach strip for rigging; bathing and crossing by swimmers are prohibited inside it, only one kitesurfer may be in the corridor at a time, and no more than two kites may be prepared on the beach at once.

Use is public, with no registration announced, and the buoys and signage are installed and maintained by local sports associations.

Safety and riding rules

2025 Guardia Costiera Vieste diporto regulation: kitesurfing is allowed only in daylight, from one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset, in suitable meteo-marine conditions, within one nautical mile from the coast and more than 200 m from the coast; during the Puglia bathing season, launch and landing must use authorized corridors.

The same 2025 regulation requires kitesurfers to be at least 16 unless under insured school instruction, wear an approved life jacket, carry a line-cutting tool, have a quick-release system, connect lines only at departure, disconnect them at landing, and body-drag through the corridor until 100 m from the beach.

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 the beach operator where the active 2026 corridor is before you rig, and body-drag out through it instead of water-starting close to the beach.
For independent freeriding, May, June and September are the cleanest compromise; in July and August swimmers and umbrellas hold almost every metre of beach frontage outside the corridors.
Check both the Maestrale/NW and the Scirocco/SE forecast; the bay is long enough that its sections do not feel the same.
Carry a line knife and wear a certified buoyancy aid or life jacket, as the Vieste regulation requires.
At Capo Vieste, expect wind holes near shore and get clear of the beach before you commit to tricks.
Bring a 12 m and a 9 m as the basic summer quiver for an average-weight rider, plus a foil or a bigger kite for marginal thermal days.

Getting there

Airport

Foggia Gino Lisa is about 73 km from Vieste for limited domestic/regional service; Bari Karol Wojtyla is about 180 km and the main international airport.

Route

Most riders drive, on the Vieste-Peschici coastal road. Vieste has no railway station: by train you get to Foggia and continue by Ferrovie del Gargano or SITA bus, or by taxi. A 2026 summer shuttle from Bari airport was listed from 2 Jun to 27 Sep, reaching Vieste about 2 h 55 min after departure.

Transfer

Bari airport to Vieste by 2026 summer shuttle about 175 minutes; driving is commonly about 2.5-3 hours. Foggia airport transfer time is unconfirmed.

Cost level

medium; higher in July-August beach-village season and generally better value in May, June and September

Staying

Beach villages, campsites and apartments line Scialmarino and Spiaggia Lunga: Oasi, Spiaggia Lunga, Scialmarino, Cala Azzurra and Isola La Chianca. Vieste town adds hotels and apartments a short drive back along the coast.

No-wind days

Vieste old town and the Pizzomunno, boat trips to the Gargano sea caves, SUP or kayak along the limestone coast, the Foresta Umbra for walking and MTB inside the Gargano National Park, a day out to the Tremiti Islands, the trabucchi and the beaches either side.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Scialmarino?

May, June and September combine good wind with fewer swimmers; July and August have the strongest wind but are the most crowded and rule-constrained.

Is Scialmarino suitable for beginners?

Yes in school-supervised shallow zones, though independent beginners should be cautious in July-August when the beach is busy and gusts occur near Capo Vieste.

What is the wind like?

The main summer wind is the NW Maestrale, typically 12-25 knots and cross-on across the bay, with Tramontana/Grecale and Scirocco also occurring.

Are there kite schools or rental at Scialmarino?

Yes, several schools operate along Scialmarino/Spiaggia Lunga, including FreeSurf Vieste, Garganosurf and Long Beach Wind & Surf Academy.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

2026 public launch corridors, 30 m wide and about 200 m offshore, are mandatory during the bathing season, with fines up to 2,000 euro for safety violations.

The bigger pictureEverything about Gargano

Last updated: August 2026