In summer the ponente often behaves like a thermal breeze: calm morning, strengthening after lunch and easing towards evening. If the forecast shows ponente, play it early — hit exposed beaches in the morning, or pick one of the sheltered beaches on this page and stay all day.
The ponente comes from the west: the best beaches are on the opposite side of the island or protected by headlands, where the wind comes off the land and the sea stays calm.
This page checks the live wind over Sardinia and highlights when the ponente is active. In forecasts, look at the wind direction: ponente = wind from the west.