Samos

Mykali BeachKedros Beach

1. 

   Mykali Beach

   sea

   Mykali is a long pebble beach on the south coast of Samos, just west of Psili Ammos, and it works only in southerly wind.

   intermediateadvancedbig rigging room

   In seasonMay to Oct

   The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 13.2 kt in January, the strongest month it models for this spot.

   Mykali Beach: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Mykali Beach

   The usual Samos wind is the NE/NNE Meltemi, and here that blows straight offshore across the Mycale Strait toward Turkey, which is the whole reason this spot is not a casual session. The water goes deep quickly; you cannot walk out. Chop and medium waves are the normal description, while the narrow strait also gets called flat water, and the two do not agree. Some sections have grass behind the pebbles, which is where you rig if you want to keep the kite intact. In July, August and September the organized middle of the beach fills with swimmers, bars and sunbeds, so that part is off the table. Water is around 24.5 C in summer and 16.3 C in winter, with summer air reported at 25-35 C.

   Getting on the water

   Very long pebble beach; some sections have grass behind the pebbles where kiters can rig and launch. Organized facilities and beach bars sit mainly near the middle of the beach.

   If it goes wrong

   None. No lifeguard, no rescue boat and no active kite school has been confirmed on this beach. The surf club on the sand is somewhere to ask about the forecast, not a rescue service. National rules also close the loop: riding is prohibited when the wind pushes you toward open sea and no lifeguard or authorised person with a powerboat is present to help, which is the standard Meltemi day here. Plan on self-rescue, a buddy on the beach and a phone in a dry pouch.

   Rules and access

   2026: no Mykali-specific ordinance was found and the standing advice is to ask locally. The national rules that apply: no kitesurfing within 200 m of swimmers; no riding closer than 200 m to the shoreline except through a marked corridor at least 100 m long and wide, bounded by yellow buoys three metres apart, cones on the right and cylinders on the left seen from the beach; nothing before sunrise or after sunset; nothing further than one nautical mile offshore and no closer than one nautical mile to ports, marinas and fish farms; no riding at beaches classed as popular and heavily frequented; and no riding when the wind is pushing you toward open sea unless a lifeguard or authorised person with a powerboat is on hand. That last clause rules out the prevailing offshore Meltemi at this launch.

   Everything on Mykali Beach

2. Kedros Beach

   sea

   Kedros is a small kite and windsurf beach on the exposed north coast of Samos, between Vathy and Kokkari.

   intermediateadvancedsmall rigging room

   In seasonJun to Sep

   The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 13.2 kt in January, the strongest month it models for this spot.

   Kedros Beach: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Kedros Beach

   Summer wind is Meltemi from N to NW, side-on to onshore, funneled along the Samos-Ikaria strait and strongest in the afternoon: 18-22 knots is the ordinary Meltemi day, with 15-30 knots on the hot ones. The water is clear and it is not flat. Chop, small to medium wind waves, big pebbles at the shore, a bottom that drops away fast, and shorebreak once the wind is up. The launch is the real constraint, a bay of roughly 20 x 50 m about 80 m east of Kedros Beach Bar, shared with swimmers and sunbathers, with a sharp rock downwind at the water's edge. Come June to September, bring booties, and bring someone to help you land. Independent beginners should learn somewhere else on Samos; there is no school and no rescue at Kedros. Whether the beach is formally legal for kitesurfing is unconfirmed for 2026.

   Getting on the water

   Small launch of coarse gravel about 80 m east of Kedros Beach Bar, in a bay of roughly 20 by 50 m — just enough room to get a kite up. A carabiner is anchored there for self-launching, though a helper is better on the loose stones. The beach and the water in front of it are shared with swimmers and sunbathers, and the parking is at the beach bar.

   If it goes wrong

   None. No lifeguard, no rescue boat, no organised cover for riders. Help is whoever is on the sand and the beach bar behind the launch, which has a phone line; a carabiner is fixed at the launch so you can self-launch alone if you have to. Cliffs sit upwind and there is nothing easy to land on downwind, so drifting off is not a plan you can fall back on.

   Rules and access

   2026: no Kedros-specific municipal or port-authority rule was found, so the national water-sports rules govern. No riding before sunrise or after sunset or in adverse weather; 200 m from swimmers, anchored boats, rocks, reefs and obstacles; 1 nautical mile from ports and fish farms; no further than 1 nautical mile offshore; a clear 100 m radius to launch and 60 m upwind of bystanders; minimum age 16, with parental consent from 14; above 6 Beaufort an organised operation needs a lifeguard and a motorised rescue boat. On the beach itself the bar asks riders to keep at least 60 m from swimmers. The claim that Kedros is one of only two legal kite spots on Samos comes from a rider report and no authority document confirms it.

   Everything on Kedros Beach

• Samos International Airport, seasonal European flights, near Pythagoreio in the south of the island

Kite bag rules for your airline

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Known for Greece:Ryanair

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

1. Riders who carried kites to Samos mostly did not ride; the recurring verdict is that the island is beautiful and not a kite island

   consensus×3 riders

2. Kokkari, the obvious-looking base in the north, has a wind shadow at the beach — the wind only fills in well out from shore — and the beach itself is narrow and busy

   consensus×3 riders

3. Riders looking for a school, rental or even a place to store a kite have repeatedly come up empty — everything visible on the water was windsurfing

   consensus×3 riders

4. The south-east side facing Turkey is the prettiest option and the one people keep coming back to, but the wind is only occasionally in the direction that makes it work

   majority×2 riders

5. The wind here is the problem, not its strength: gusts and lulls with direction swings of ninety to a hundred and eighty degrees inside a minute, and non-kiting locals recognise the pattern as normal

   mixed×2 riders

6. The beach downwind of Kokkari is rounded stones with choppy slalom water, slightly offshore wind and no rescue of any kind

   mixed×1 rider

• Samos is the birthplace of the mathematician Pythagoras and the astronomer Aristarchus of Samos.
• Pythagoreio was renamed in 1955 in Pythagoras's honor — it was previously called Tigani.

What we could not settle. Ride here? These are the gaps worth filling.

• Is 'Samos' the name riders actually use for this area?
• Current (2026) accommodation and lesson pricing on Samos
• Driving time from Kokkari to Kedros and from Pythagoreio to Mykali/Psili Ammos
• Whether any kite school or rental currently operates at either spot