The maestral — also written maestro, or called the Mediterranean mistral in its broader sense — is a light to moderate north-westerly sea breeze that characterises pleasant summer afternoons on the Montenegrin Adriatic coast. Unlike the cold, violent bura, the maestral is a thermal wind driven by the land-sea temperature differential that develops by mid-morning and reaches its peak in the early afternoon, typically 12–17 km/h but occasionally gusting to 30 km/h. It is generally welcomed by beachgoers as it provides relief from midday heat — particularly important in July and August when air temperatures reach 35–38°C along the coast — without disrupting beach activities significantly. The maestral makes beach umbrellas flutter and can cause minor waves on open beaches facing north-west. For sailing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing it provides ideal working conditions; the stretch of coast around Velika Plaža and Ada Bojana is particularly favoured for kitesurfing precisely because the maestral arrives reliably each afternoon. The wind typically dies down at sunset, giving way to the calm evening conditions that define the Adriatic summer night.
Related terms: Velika Plaža (Long Beach), Montenegrin Coast (Crnogorsko Primorje), Sea Temperature (Seasons), Bura (Bora) Wind, Kitesurfing