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Ionian Islands · Lefkada · Lefkada Regional Unit · Lefkada Town
Agios Ioannis (Lefkada)
also known as Ai Giannis, Agios Ioannis Beach Lefkada, Agianni, Agios Ioannis Beach, Milos Beach, Milos Beach Club, Myloi, Milli
Nearby Agios Ioannis (Milos Beach) 1 km · Wooden Bridge 5 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
14:00 · 15:00 · 19:00 · 20:00
Builds from around midday, settled in by 14:00-15:00, and drops off towards sunset, roughly 19:00-20:00.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
locals call it Maistros / Maestro / mistral; local thermal breeze
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Builds from around midday, settled in by 14:00-15:00, and drops off towards sunset, roughly 19:00-20:00.
Typical strength
15-24 knots on a working summer afternoon, most often 15-20. Strong north days push past that and are a different session.
Also on record
15-20 knots
The quiver, in words
For 75-85 kg, 9-12 m covers the ordinary 15-20 knot thermal: 11-12 m early in the window, 9 m once it reaches the mid-twenties. Bring something larger for light August days if you are on a twin-tip.
Direction to shore
Cross-on from the right through the SW-W-NW arc, so a rider who goes down tends to drift back towards the beach rather than out to sea.
Dominant direction
W, NW, N; some spot guides also include SW during the thermal window
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan6
- Feb7
- Mar15
- Apr17
- May, riders' month11
- Jun, riders' month3
- Jul, riders' month6
- Aug, riders' month6
- Sep, riders' month7
- Oct6
- Nov15
- Dec5
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 6%Jan17°
- 7%Feb16°
- 15%Mar16°
- 17%Apr18°
- 11%May20°
- 3%Jun25°
- 6%Jul27°
- 6%Aug28°
- 7%Sep27°
- 6%Oct24°
- 15%Nov21°
- 5%Dec18°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6% | 19% | 13% | 7.1 kt | SE | 14:00 | 10.3°C | 17°C | 62 |
| Feb | 7% | 16% | 14% | 8 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 11°C | 16.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 15% | 24% | 18% | 8.7 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 12.2°C | 16.3°C | 62 |
| Apr | 17% | 30% | 25% | 9.1 kt | W | 16:00 | 16.1°C | 17.6°C | 60 |
| May | 11% | 19% | 16% | 7.7 kt | W | 17:00 | 20.4°C | 20.1°C | 62 |
| Jun | 3% | 7% | 3% | 7.6 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 26°C | 24.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 6% | 19% | 10% | 9.2 kt | W | 17:00 | 29.2°C | 27.3°C | 62 |
| Aug | 6% | 16% | 11% | 8.8 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 28.3°C | 27.8°C | 62 |
| Sep | 7% | 18% | 12% | 8.1 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 24°C | 26.5°C | 60 |
| Oct | 6% | 8% | 6% | 7.1 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 20.7°C | 23.8°C | 62 |
| Nov | 15% | 22% | 18% | 7.7 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 15.8°C | 21.4°C | 60 |
| Dec | 5% | 11% | 8% | 6.3 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 12.7°C | 18.4°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
mixed
Standing depth
Shallow for about 30 m off the beach, then over 2 m in the riding area. Treat the standing zone as a strip along the shore, not a lagoon you can walk around in.
Tides
Very small Ionian tide range: 0.01-0.17 m at Lefkada on 26 August 2026, and Agios Ioannis table heights around 0.0-0.2 m in August 2026.
Temperature
25-27°C summer · 15-17°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer usually shorts/rash vest; spring/fall shorty useful; winter normal wetsuit.
Currents
A current reportedly runs north along the beach; no official current data was found.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: ok
Somewhere else
Agios Ioannis (Milos Beach), 1 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Long sand-and-pebble beach in front of the old windmills/Milos Beach Club. The best launch is in front of the three northernmost windmills, with ample parking close above the shoreline. Entry can be awkward because smooth slippery rocks and slabs sit at or just below the shore, especially when onshore waves break.
Space
ok
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Watch the beach as well as the forecast: the thermal fills in after midday and strengthens through the late afternoon.
- Wear booties, or walk in slowly and look down; the rocks and slabs at the entry are slippery and there is glass on the sand.
- On strong north days treat it as intermediate to advanced: the shore break over a rocky entry is the risk, not the wind strength.
- Launch in front of the three northernmost windmills and hold the yellow-buoy zoning at Milos Beach Club, windsurf left and kite right; ask the school where the line sits that week.
- For flat water go to The Bridge/Cleopatra, The Church downwinder or Agios Nikolaos; the open-sea beach will not give you that.
- Book a bed early for mid-July to late August; Lefkada Town, Frini or Agios Ioannis itself keeps you close enough to see the thermal arrive.
Getting there
Airport
Preveza/Aktion Airport (PVK)
Route
Lefkada is connected to the mainland by road bridge/causeway. From PVK, take rental car, taxi or KTEL bus to Lefkada Town, then drive or taxi a few minutes to Agios Ioannis/Milos Beach; the beach is about 2 km from Lefkada Town.
Transfer
20-30 minutes from PVK to Lefkada Town; roughly another few minutes by car to the beach depending on traffic/parking.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Best base is Lefkada Town, Frini/Fryni, Agios Ioannis or the north of the island. Accommodation books quickly from mid-July to late August, so book early; apartments, villas, vacation homes, hotels and camping all sit near the spot.
No-wind days
West-coast beaches and cliffs, swimming/SUP, Nidri biking and hiking tours, local wineries, Lefkada old town restaurants/nightlife, marina/boat trips to nearby Ionian islands.
Photos
FAQ
What is the wind like at Agios Ioannis?
A thermal Maistros builds from around noon, most often blowing W-NW/N cross-on to onshore, with 12-24 knots most commonly reported and stronger days to about 30 knots.
Is Agios Ioannis suitable for beginners?
Lessons are offered and a shallow shore zone is marked, but several guides rate the main open-sea launch better for intermediate to advanced riders because of slippery rocks and shore break.
When is the best time to kite at Agios Ioannis?
May to September is the main season, with June-July highlighted for strong wind and fewer crowds than peak holiday weeks.
Are there rules or zoning at Agios Ioannis?
Myloi, next to Agios Ioannis, is the only registered kitesurf-exclusive beach; yellow-buoy zoning reportedly separates windsurfing to the left and kitesurfing to the right at Milos Beach Club, with a free Kite Pass.
What hazards are there?
Smooth slippery rocks at the shore, shore break after strong wind days, and sudden gusty squalls locally called mpourini in July-September.
Last updated: August 2026