Velika Plaža (Ulcinj)

About this spot

Velika Plaža — the 'Long Beach' south of Ulcinj — is the one place in Montenegro where kitesurfing has truly taken root. Twelve kilometres of fine, dark volcanic sand face the open Adriatic to the south-west, and from late spring to early autumn the thermal Maestral builds almost daily from the west and north-west, blowing side-onshore along the beach at a friendly 14–24 kn. The bottom is sand throughout, the entry is gentle, and the sheer length of the beach means there is always space to launch away from the crowds.

The beach faces south-west, so south-westerly to north-westerly winds are the working window: onshore to side-onshore, with flat water near the beach and a moderate chop further out. Southerly and south-easterly Sirocco winds bring warmer, gustier onshore conditions and short waves — rideable but less comfortable. Anything from the north around through east is offshore: the winter Bora pours off the mountains behind Ulcinj as a violent, gusty offshore wind and must not be ridden. The shallow shelf is modest — you reach over-head depth within a couple of hundred metres — so the spot suits confident beginners upward rather than total first-days.

The southern half of the beach toward the Bojana river mouth is the kite zone: several schools and rental centres (the best known around the 'Kite Loop' area) operate there in season with rescue boats, compressors and beach bars. The northern end toward Ulcinj town is dominated by hotels and swimmers — stay out of the bathing zones in summer. Ulcinj itself, 5 km away, is a historic Ottoman-flavoured town with a famous old town above the small beach; Podgorica airport is about 1 h 15 min away.