Alacati Kite Beach

Turkey's best-known kite destination, tucked into a U-shaped, wind-protected bay on the Cesme peninsula near the boutique town of Alacati. The bay splits into a shallow, sandy south side for learners and a rockier, Venturi-accelerated north side for stronger wind, all powered by a reliable summer Meltemi.

beginnerfreestylefreeridewaves

Wind

best months	May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
season notes	Meltemi blows reliably on most days from June-September; local geography creates a Venturi effect that can add up to ~5 knots on the north side of the bay.
avg knots	15-30
wind name	Meltemi
direction to shore	cross-shore, from N/NNE
quality	steady, occasionally gusty in the Venturi-accelerated north spot
typical kite sizes	7-11m

Water

type	flat to choppy depending on section (mixed)
temp summer c	~24-26
wetsuit	boardshorts/shorty Jun-Sep, 3/2 in shoulder season
tides	minimal, not a major factor
standing depth	yes at the South Wind spot (shallow, sandy bottom); deeper and rockier at the North Wind spot

Levels

beginner	yes
intermediate	yes
advanced	yes
notes	Three distinct zones: South Wind spot (sandy, shallow, best for learning), North Wind spot (rockier entrance, stronger Venturi-boosted wind), and Pirlanta Beach (wave riding in strong wind).

Launch & crowd

description	Sandy beach launch with a dedicated school zone at the South Wind spot; rockier, more technical launch at the North Wind spot
rescue	Yes - beach schools operate rescue boats
busy months	Jun Jul Aug Sep
vibe	Upscale, boutique-village crowd with many schools and rental centers; lively nightlife in Alacati old town

Monthly wind statistics

Station: Alacati (Windfinder, ~3.4 km) — Station is essentially at the spot (~3.4 km), but the underlying record only covers 2010-2012 and has zero observations for Oct/Nov/Dec (no direction arrow shown for those months) -- likely a station that went offline. Annual average (from the partial record) is N wind at 11 kt. Monthly air temperature did not parse cleanly for this page (irregular row count) so it is omitted; annual average is 21C day / 18C night. Windfinder's current site design no longer publishes the monthly wind-probability(>=4Bft)/avg-knots table as text -- it is only rendered as an unlabeled bar chart (confirmed on Tarifa, Talat Yai and other well-known spots too, so this is a site-wide change, not a data gap for this station). Recorded here instead: annual avg wind speed/direction, monthly dominant wind direction, and monthly avg daytime air temperature, all pulled from the station's windstatistics page via a text-rendering proxy after windfinder.com rate-limited direct fetches for a time.

Month	Wind ≥4 Bft	Avg kn	Dir	Air °C	Water °C
Jan	—%	—	NNE	—	—
Feb	—%	—	N	—	—
Mar	—%	—	N	—	—
Apr	—%	—	NNW	—	—
May	—%	—	N	—	—
Jun	—%	—	N	—	—
Jul	—%	—	N	—	—
Aug	—%	—	NNE	—	—
Sep	—%	—	NNE	—	—
Oct	—%	—	—	—	—
Nov	—%	—	—	—	—
Dec	—%	—	—	—	—

Hazards

Rocky entrance at the North Wind spot - care needed launching/landing
Crowding in peak season
Venturi effect can push gusts well above forecast

Rules

Zones are informally split by level/discipline - beginners should keep to the South Wind spot
Assistance is recommended for launching/landing at the rockier North spot

Tips

Choose your bay: South Wind for learning on sand, North Wind for stronger Venturi-boosted wind, Pirlanta for waves in strong wind
A shorty wetsuit covers summer; bring a fuller suit for shoulder season
Explore Alacati's Ottoman stone-house old town and boutique restaurants on lighter-wind days

Travel basics

airport	ADB - Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (~1 hr)
getting there	Rental car or transfer from Izmir
accommodation	Boutique hotels in Alacati village plus beachfront kite hotels; wide price range
cost level	mid-high
no wind	Explore Alacati's old town, visit Cesme castle and thermal springs, day trip to Ephesus

Nearby: Urla, Gokova Bay (Akyaka)

Sources: kitesurfingofficial.com · kitesurfy.com