Nils Westphal was out wingfoiling in Istria this summer. Here is his spot guide:
Summer vacation in Croatia on the peninsula of Istria near Pula – can you also go wingfoiling here?
In the summer months, you have to rely on the Bora wind in Istria. The hot summer days also generate thermal winds – but these rarely reach more than 8 knots. My experience relates to a 14-day vacation from the end of July to mid-August. During this period, I had three days with excellent wind conditions. At other times of the year, things are very different here. The Bora then blows more frequently and also stronger and there are other local winds.
Wind forecast
Windfinder with the superforecast is only a first orientation. Several times Windfinder predicted 15 kn and there was almost no wind on site.
At https://www.windsurfstation.com/forecast a local windsurfing spot offers three forecasts bundled together for more precise information.
Windguru worked best for me. Here you can call up the current live data of a spot on site and possibly save yourself a journey (… I only found out later…. Windfinder said 18 kn wind, on site the water was as smooth as glass).
Windguru refers to a station called “Stupice”. Link to Windguru: https://www.windguru.cz/21
Spots
I tested two spots. Both offered very good conditions. The Bora here blows from the northeast and is therefore sideonshore. In my case, it was blowing between 15 and 20 knots. The Bora started very early in the morning and then died down by midday.
The best way to get to the spots is to enter the names on GoogleMaps or another map service.
Beach Uvala Skoljic
Beach Uvala Skoljic, next to the Premantura windsurfing station (https://www.windsurfstation.com/): the station is located in the Cape Kamenjak nature reserve. Access by car costs an entrance fee (15 euros per day or 35 euros for three days, book online in advance https://shop.kamenjak.hr/en/tickets). Access is via a bumpy dirt road. The reward is a great spot right on a peninsula. There is a café, wingfoil equipment rental and restrooms. You can park in the morning directly by the water under trees in the shade. The best place to set up your equipment is on the small peninsula after a short 50m walk (see photo).
From there it goes straight into the water. There is a small forest on the peninsula for protection from the wind and sun. Booties are recommended, as you sometimes walk over (slippery and sharp) stones into the water. The water gets deep enough quickly and was 28 degrees Celcius in August, the air was already 27 degrees Celsius in the morning. The best boardshort conditions!


There is a small wave between the small islands of Ceja and Trumbuja and a somewhat larger wave to the south-east of the small island of Sekovac.
When the Bora is over, you can visit many other small beaches in the national park with your ticket. The Safari Beach Bar in the far south near the southernmost point of Istria is well worth a visit.
Windsurfcenter Premantura – Camping Stupice
Windsurfcenter Premantura (http://windsurfing.hr), Camping Stupice: about one kilometer further north (outside the national park) is the “Arena Stupice” campsite. For 7 euros, you can buy a day ticket for your car at reception and then drive your car to the beach. Here, too, a small peninsula (which is home to numerous wind and water sports enthusiasts) is the ideal access point. The access is also rocky and it quickly becomes deep enough. The campsite offers showers, toilets and a bar/café in the immediate vicinity. There was a lot more going on at this spot. However, kiters, windsurfers and wingers have plenty of space.
Special highlight: a dolphin appeared next to me several times during the session.


Conclusion
Going to Istria just to go wingfoiling in summer? Probably not. The wind conditions are too variable and not constant enough for that.
Summer vacation in Istria and take your wingfoil equipment with you? Definitely! When the bora blows, you’ll find the best “boardshort conditions”.