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Red Sea & Arabian Gulf · Atlit-Caesarea · Hadera Subdistrict · Atlit

Atlit / Neve Yam

also known as Neve Yam, Hof Neve Yam, חוף נווה ים, Newe Yam

flat wateradvanced onlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Nearby Haifa / Bat Galim 15 km · straight-line distance

SeasonApr to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy15-28 ktmixed LaunchPotentially roomy on open sandy stretches, but entries, coves, rocks and access routes vary and require local knowledge.access rules on record, below WaterNatural Mediterranean coast with chop, waves, variable depth, coves and rock/reef sections; can be flat in strong offshore easterlies29°C in summer · 9 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airport70 minBen Gurion Airport (TLV)

On the clock

10:00

Northerlies reach this part of the Carmel coast strongly and earlier than the beaches to the south, sometimes filling in by around 10:00 instead of waiting for the afternoon. Easterly days follow no such pattern.

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.

Neve Yam is the quiet one on the Carmel coast, a natural stretch south of Atlit where you may be the only kite in the air. That is the appeal and it is the problem.

Access varies: some approaches involve a track or a walk, and the entries and exits get chosen with local knowledge rather than read off a map. The water is chop and small waves over changing depth, with rock and reef shelves in places, and it only goes flat when a strong easterly blows offshore.

Those easterly days are the ones that hurt people; they get ridden with a rescue boat, not on optimism. Parts of this coast sit inside a reserve where most of the ground is closed military area, so confirm your access before you drive down with gear.

Best in the transition seasons, when the northerlies run along this coast: N, W and NW at 15-28 kt. Not a spot to ride alone, and not a spot for your first season.

The wind

Direction

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: Northerlies reach this part of the Carmel coast strongly and earlier than the beaches to the south, sometimes filling in by around 10:00 instead of waiting for the afternoon. Easterly days follow no such pattern.

Typical strength

15-28 kt

Quiet, natural spot for experienced riders when the northern/coastal wind is working; less convenient and less supported than managed beaches.

Neve Yam is mainly a transition-season northerly spot, for N, W and NW. The raised ground near the start of the beach shadows northerlies, so set up several hundred meters farther south to get the wind clean. Kiting has also been documented here in strong easterly wind, offshore and dangerous, and done with a rescue boat.

The quiver, in words

Nothing rider-reported for Neve Yam. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider across the 15-28 knot working range: 9 m for most days, 7 m once the northerly pushes past 25, 12 m for the soft end of a transition-season afternoon.

Direction to shore

N, W and NW are the usable sectors on this open coast. E is offshore and dangerous here, even though it flattens the water.

Dominant direction

N, W, NW; E on separate offshore-wind days

Forecast

Month by month

Jan27
Feb28
Mar35
Apr, riders' month21
May, riders' month31
Jun, riders' month11
Jul, riders' month4
Aug, riders' month5
Sep, riders' month4
Oct, riders' month17
Nov26
Dec20

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

10Jan20°
10Feb18°
10Mar19°
9Apr21°
10May23°
9Jun27°
9Jul29°
9Aug30°
9Sep30°
9Oct27°
9Nov24°
9Dec22°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	27%	9.6 kt	E	13.6°C	20°C
Feb	28%	9.6 kt	SSW	13.4°C	18.1°C
Mar	35%	10.2 kt	W	15.4°C	18.5°C
Apr	21%	9.3 kt	W	19.8°C	20.5°C
May	31%	10.3 kt	WSW	22.2°C	22.7°C
Jun	11%	9.1 kt	W	25.7°C	26.5°C
Jul	4%	9.1 kt	WSW	27.8°C	29.4°C
Aug	5%	9.1 kt	W	28.1°C	30.4°C
Sep	4%	9.2 kt	WNW	27.1°C	29.5°C
Oct	17%	9.3 kt	WNW	24.3°C	27.3°C
Nov	26%	9.2 kt	E	19.7°C	24.1°C
Dec	20%	8.7 kt	E	15.8°C	21.7°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

Natural Mediterranean coast with chop, waves, variable depth, coves and rock/reef sections; can be flat in strong offshore easterlies

Standing depth

Depth changes along the beach and standing is not something to count on: sand in places, rock and reef shelves in others. The shallows here are ground to walk across carefully, not ground to rest on.

Tides

Microtidal Mediterranean coast; no spot-specific tide constraints found.

Temperature

29°C summer · 19°C winter

Wetsuit

Usually boardshorts/rash vest in late spring through autumn; wetsuit useful in winter.

Currents

Rip currents and changing surf-beach currents are a general Israeli Mediterranean hazard; offshore easterly wind creates drift risk.

18–30°C water

Atlit water averages around 29.1 C in August and 18.9 C in January. Neve Yam is natural, partly rocky and barely organized, with entry and exit points that change along the beach.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Neve Yam is an intermediate and advanced spot, and not one to ride alone. Access, changing entries and exits, and almost no help nearby are what set the level, more than the water does.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridequiet sessionssmall wavesflat-water offshore sessions only with organized rescue

Quiet, natural and less organized than managed central beaches; riders may be alone or with only a few others.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Potentially roomy on open sandy stretches, but entries, coves, rocks and access routes vary and require local knowledge.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Haifa / Bat Galim, 15 km

Haifa / Bat Galim

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

Do not count on a lifeguard or on kite rescue. A strong offshore easterly session here needs a rescue boat arranged in advance, otherwise the drift takes you out. The only organized operation on this beach is a surf and SUP club (052-556-3566) running year-round, which is not a rescue service and lists no kite activity.

Launch

Natural beach/cove area around Neve Yam and the coast toward Habonim; exact meeting point varies by chosen access.

Space

Potentially roomy on open sandy stretches, but entries, coves, rocks and access routes vary and require local knowledge.

Rules & access

2026: verify access before you drive down with gear. Almost the whole Neve Yam coastal reserve is closed military ground, with the open exception a limited section of Neve Yam beach and Tamnun Island; the strip between Tamnun Island and Salt Island, south of the Atlit fortress, is inside the closed zone. The reserve covers 207.9 dunams, its Kibbutz Neve Yam section approved in 2011 and its Atlit section in April 2020. Entry to the reserve itself is free, while the beach facility at Neve Yam charges. No kite-specific permit, corridor or seasonal ban has been found.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Do not ride Neve Yam alone: agree the access point, the launch, the exit and the downwind bailout with a local rider first.
In northerlies, walk several hundred meters south of the start of the beach; the raised ground there shadows the wind.
Treat easterly flat-water days as offshore sessions only, with a rescue boat arranged before you pump.
Check reserve and military closures before driving to an unfamiliar access; only a limited section at Neve Yam beach and Tamnun Island is open.

Getting there

Airport

Ben Gurion Airport (TLV)

Route

Drive north on Highway 2 to Atlit/Neve Yam; train service from Ben Gurion Airport to Atlit is possible, then local taxi or pickup to the beach access.

Transfer

70 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Guesthouses and apartments around Atlit, Hof HaCarmel, Haifa, Zichron Yaakov or Caesarea.

No-wind days

Atlit detainee camp museum · Carmel coast beaches · Habonim-Dor coastal walks · Caesarea National Park · Haifa and Bat Galim

FAQ

Is it suitable for beginners?

No, local guidance marks Neve Yam for intermediate and advanced riders only, citing variable access points, rocky entries and limited help nearby.

What is the wind like?

The spot works mainly with N, W and NW wind in the transition seasons at typical speeds of 15-28 knots; a wind shadow near the start of the beach means riders should set up farther south to catch northerlies properly.

What are the main hazards?

Strong easterly wind creates flat water but is offshore and reported dangerous, requiring a rescue boat; the coast also has rocks, reef sections and rip currents.

Are there rules or restrictions?

Most of the Neve Yam coastal reserve is a closed military area except a limited section at the beach and Tamnun Island, so local verification is recommended before launching.

When is the best time to kite?

April through October, especially May to September, are listed as the best months for northerly wind.

Last updated: August 2026