Map › Greece › Issos Beach

Ionie · Corfu, southwest coast · Corfu Regional Unit · Agios Georgios South

Issos Beach

also known as Paralia Issos, Agios Georgios South, Ίσσος

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Chalikounas (Corfu) 5 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy10-14 knotsthermal Launchmedium to largeaccess rules on record, below Watersea26.1°C in summer · 15 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools1named at this spot From the airport40 minCorfu International Airport (CFU)

On the clock

14:00 · 18:00

Mornings are usually too light to rig. The sea breeze builds from late morning toward midday and runs into the evening. On days that are pure thermal it can be nearer 14:00 before it is worth going on the water, fading around 18:00.

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.

Issos Beach is the wide sandy stretch just north of Agios Georgios South, on Corfu's southwest coast, with dunes behind it. Riding runs on the summer north-westerly, the Maestro/Mistral: light mornings, then 12-15 knots filling in late morning or around noon and holding into the afternoon, occasionally stronger.

NW arrives cross-shore to cross-onshore, which is what makes the beach work for freeride and for lessons when it is empty. The dunes cut both ways. They flatten the water near shore and chew up the air at the same time, so expect a wind shadow and gusts on the inside.

The water is open Ionian, flat to choppy, 26.1 C in summer against 15.3 C in winter, and winter southerlies push waves into the bay.

Corfu Surf sits on the beach and opens only once the wind reaches about 10-14 knots, charging 15 EUR/day (2026) as a rescue and beach fee; on the days it stays shut nobody is watching the water.

What actually shapes a session in July and August is the swimmers, the boat corridor and the deckchairs, so use the kite area and keep out of the marked zones.

The wind

locals call it Maestro / Mistral

Direction

cross-onNW

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

thermal

fills in: Mornings are usually too light to rig. The sea breeze builds from late morning toward midday and runs into the evening. On days that are pure thermal it can be nearer 14:00 before it is worth going on the water, fading around 18:00.

Typical strength

12-15 around noon and through the afternoon in summer, occasionally stronger; the local station opens once the wind reaches about 10-14 knots.

A regular summer sea breeze most days, though the dune shadow and the gusts close to the beach can make the inside awkward.

Summer north-westerlies are the pattern that works. A strong mistral spell can run several days; really high wind is uncommon here.

The quiver, in words

No published local range, so this is indicative from the wind. For 75-85 kg a 12 m is the everyday size here, a 15 m or a bigger board earns its keep on the 10-12 knot thermal days, and a 9 m is for the mistral spells that gust toward 20.

Direction to shore

cross-shore, cross-onshore and onshore; NW is side-shore to side-onshore for Paralia Issos

Dominant direction

NW, WNW, W

Forecast

Month by month

Jan58
Feb49
Mar56
Apr48
May, riders' month33
Jun, riders' month31
Jul, riders' month48
Aug, riders' month31
Sep, riders' month47
Oct34
Nov57
Dec48

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

13Jan17°
12Feb16°
12Mar16°
12Apr17°
10May20°
10Jun24°
11Jul26°
10Aug27°
11Sep26°
10Oct24°
13Nov21°
12Dec18°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	58%	12.9 kt	ESE	11.7°C	16.9°C
Feb	49%	11.9 kt	SE	11.9°C	16°C
Mar	56%	12.3 kt	SE	12.6°C	16°C
Apr	48%	12 kt	NW	15.5°C	17.1°C
May	33%	9.9 kt	SSE	19.3°C	19.8°C
Jun	31%	10.1 kt	NW	24.7°C	23.8°C
Jul	48%	11.3 kt	NW	27.8°C	26°C
Aug	31%	10.3 kt	NW	27.5°C	27.2°C
Sep	47%	11 kt	NW	23.8°C	26.4°C
Oct	34%	10 kt	SE	20.8°C	23.8°C
Nov	57%	13.2 kt	ENE	16.7°C	21.2°C
Dec	48%	11.5 kt	E	13.8°C	18.3°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

sea

Standing depth

Sandy bottom on a moderate slope. You can stand in the first stretch off the beach at either tide state, then it drops away. There is often a small shore break in the first metres, reportedly up to half a metre to a metre and a half when swell gets into the bay.

Tides

Tide is not a factor. The Ionian range is small and no part of the session depends on it: low water reads flat, high water flat to slightly choppy, and neither state opens or closes the spot.

Temperature

26.1°C summer · 15.3°C winter

Wetsuit

usually no full wetsuit in peak summer; shorty or neoprene top useful in shoulder months; winter requires a full wetsuit

Currents

Reportedly more current here than on the neighbouring Corfu beaches. Nobody has measured it, and it has not been described as dangerous.

16–27°C water

Open Ionian beach water, flat to choppy. The dunes keep the nearshore water relatively flat, while winter southerlies can push waves into the bay.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Mornings are light enough to learn in and the beach is easy freeriding, but the dune shadow is a poor place to fly a kite, and those two pieces of guidance sit against each other.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridechopsmall waveslearning in lighter morning windsmall waves in southerly/winter patterns

A tourist beach with a small kite presence. Not many kites go up here, and Chalikounas is the usual answer when you want space.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium to large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Chalikounas (Corfu), 5 km

Chalikounas (Corfu)

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

Rescue

Corfu Surf charges a rescue and beach fee of 15 EUR/day (2026). It covers riders only while the station is open, and the station opens once the wind reaches about 10-14+ knots. Nothing covers the days it stays closed.

Launch

Sandy launch on Issos Beach, north of Agios Georgios South. Set up near the lifeguard tower or farther west by the kite club, and stay out of the swimming and boat zones.

Space

medium to large

Rules & access

2026: keep off the boat corridor and out of the swimming zone. Greek national rules ban kitesurfing within 200 m of swimmers and less than 200 m from shore except beyond the swim-zone buoys or in marked waterways, ban it on crowded beaches, and require rescue cover in offshore wind.

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

Rider tips

Check the wind before you drive south; mornings here are often too light to bother with.
Rig and launch well clear of the beach furniture, the swimming zone and the boat corridor.
Pay the 15 EUR/day (2026) rescue and beach fee at Corfu Surf when the station is open, and ride well within yourself on the days it is not.
If Issos feels tight or shadowed, drive to Chalikounas, which has more room.
Aim for the afternoon. Between roughly 12:00 and 18:00 is the working window, and the thermal-only days start later than that.
A 12 m is the kite that gets used most; bring a 15 m if you want the light days to count.

Getting there

Airport

Corfu International Airport (CFU)

Route

Drive or take a taxi from Corfu Airport down to Agios Georgios South; the beach starts just north of the resort strip.

Transfer

40 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Agios Georgios South has beach accommodation and apartments; Kite Club Corfu packages have used Andriana Apartments.

No-wind days

Korission Lagoon and its dunes, the other Corfu beaches, Corfu Old Town, the tavernas, or a drive round the island.

Photos

Calm shallow water and shoreline at Agios Georgios South, Corfu, the village adjoining Issos Beach — Dli555 / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Issos Beach?

May through September is the main season, with light mornings and the northwesterly Maestro/Mistral thermal building around late morning to noon.

Is Issos Beach suitable for beginners?

Mornings are described as suitable for learning and easy freeriding, though other guidance warns the wind shadow behind the dunes is not ideal for kite handling.

What is the wind like?

A thermal wind from the northwest to west typically reaches 12-15 knots around noon and afternoon, with the local station opening once wind reaches about 10-14 knots.

Are there kite schools or rescue?

Corfu Surf / Kite Club Corfu operates at Issos Beach and lists a rescue/beach fee.

What hazards should riders know about?

Gusty wind off the dunes, swimmers, a boat zone and tourist beach furniture are the main hazards to watch for on this shared tourist beach.

Last updated: August 2026