Riding essentials
Season
Apr–Sep
Months riders and schools name
How windy
under Typical strength, below
Character: thermal · cross-shore
Room to launch
huge
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
22–26 °C in summer
Hazards
6
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
low crowds · busy Jul Aug
Schools
none named here
From the airport
Corfu International Airport (CFU)
Transfer times under Getting there
On the clock
13:00 · 14:00 · 18:00
Fills in around 13:00 and runs to sunset, with the steady block roughly 14:00 to 18:00. Mornings are usually dead, so there is no reason to be there early.
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.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Agios Georgios Southno page yet
- Agios Gordiosno page yet
- Lefkimmino page yet
The spot
Wind and season
Beach conditions and facilities
Station and rules
The wind
locals call it Maestro / Maistros
Direction
Dominant direction
NW in the main spring-to-autumn season; SE to SW winds are reported in winter.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Indicative, no local size guidance is published: the summer thermal runs 10-12 knots, which puts a 75-85 kg rider on 13-15 m or a foil, and the stronger Maestro days gusting to 20 come down to 10-12 m. The station rents by the hour rather than by size, so bring what you want to be on.
Character
Typical strength
10-12 in the summer thermal, gusting to about 20 when a weather wind stacks on top of it; 12-20 is the range quoted for the season as a whole. Over a ten-day stretch, thermal most afternoons and a couple of stronger days.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan29
- Feb18
- Mar32
- Apr, riders' month30
- May, riders' month13
- Jun, riders' month17
- Jul, riders' month19
- Aug, riders' month18
- Sep, riders' month17
- Oct21
- Nov28
- Dec23
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 29%Jan17°
- 18%Feb16°
- 32%Mar16°
- 30%Apr17°
- 13%May20°
- 17%Jun24°
- 19%Jul26°
- 18%Aug27°
- 17%Sep27°
- 21%Oct24°
- 28%Nov21°
- 23%Dec18°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
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.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29% | 52% | 39% | 11.3 kt | NW | 12:00 | 11.7 °C | 17 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 18% | 42% | 35% | 10 kt | NW | 15:00 | 11.9 °C | 16 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 32% | 45% | 40% | 11.8 kt | SE | 15:00 | 12.6 °C | 16 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 30% | 50% | 42% | 11.6 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 15.5 °C | 17.1 °C | 60 |
| May | 13% | 27% | 19% | 9.2 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 19.3 °C | 19.8 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 17% | 23% | 20% | 9.5 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 24.7 °C | 23.7 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 19% | 39% | 29% | 10.7 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 27.8 °C | 26 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 18% | 40% | 31% | 10.4 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 27.5 °C | 27.2 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 17% | 32% | 23% | 9.8 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 23.8 °C | 26.5 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 21% | 40% | 27% | 10.1 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 20.8 °C | 23.9 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 28% | 45% | 38% | 11 kt | NW | 13:00 | 16.7 °C | 21.2 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 23% | 35% | 27% | 9.9 kt | NW | 13:00 | 13.8 °C | 18.3 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
50 cm to 1.5 m on the Lake Korission side, and shallow for the first 10-15 m out from the sea beach before a gentle sandy shelf takes it away.
Tides
The spot is listed as tide independent; no local tide range is published.
Temperature
Summer (°C) 22-26 average by month, with summer range reported roughly 18-29
Winter (°C) 15-18 average by month, with winter range reported roughly 14-21
Modelled monthly average: 16–27 °C
Wetsuit
Summer normally shorts or no wetsuit; spring/autumn shorts or shorty; winter normal/full wetsuit.
Conditions
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
1 spot nearby
Rescue
Launch
Long sandy beach between the sea and Lake Korission, wide/open with little crowding, few swimmers, easy road access and parking close to the beach. Launch from the sandy beach, noting limited parking about 50 m away; the beach is roughly a mile long and 25 m wide.
Rules & access
1 min read
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Schools that ride here
Rider tips
- Plan for the afternoon: the NW thermal fills in around 13:00 and runs to sunset.
- Check the station status before you drive down, because it only opens once the wind is about 10-14 knots.
- Ask the station where the day's launch corridor and the swimmer limits are before you rig.
- Use the Lake Korission side for flat learning water, only where kiting is allowed and someone is watching you.
- Bring water and sun cover. The sand strip is a mile long with no shade, and parking is about 50 m back.
Getting there
Airport
Corfu International Airport (CFU)
Route
Drive south from Corfu Town toward Agios Mattheos and Chalikounas, then out to the beach on the Korission Lagoon sand strip. A bus toward Vraganiotika plus a taxi also works.
Transfer
About 29 minutes by car from Corfu Airport to Chalikounas; about 53 minutes by bus plus taxi.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Thousands of beds are listed near Chalikounas, mostly villas and rentals scattered around the Korission Lagoon and the beach road.
No-wind days
Lake Korission nature area, Issos beach and dunes, Corfu Town, nearby southwest-coast beaches, tavernas and sunset beach time.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Chalikounas?
The main season runs April to September, with July rated the best month; the NW thermal typically builds around 1pm and holds until sunset.
Is Chalikounas suitable for beginners?
Yes, the shallow, flat Lake Korission side is used for first exercises, while the sandy sea side has more chop and small-to-medium waves for progressing riders.
What is the wind like?
A side-shore NW thermal typically runs 12-20 knots, with the local kite station opening once wind reaches about 10-14 knots.
Are there kite schools or rental?
Corfu Surf / Kite Club Corfu runs a station on-site for 2026 with equipment rental and a 15 EUR rescue/beach fee, though it no longer offers lessons.
Are there rules or fees to know about?
The 2026 station charges a rescue/beach fee and opens only when there is enough wind; riders must avoid the marked swimming area, and Greece's national kitesurf rules apply.
Last updated: August 2026