Nearby Alacati Kite Beach 20 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Summer north wind is strongest in the afternoon and often eases overnight. Southerly and frontal days are not tied to a clock and can blow through the night, and those are the days this beach is read for. No local measurement.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Summer north wind is strongest in the afternoon and often eases overnight. Southerly and frontal days are not tied to a clock and can blow through the night, and those are the days this beach is read for. No local measurement.
Typical strength
No session-level measurement exists. The station table averages 6-9 kt across all hours, and counts 181 windy days a year: 26 in July and 24 in August against 10 or 11 in April, October and November. Aegean north wind commonly peaks at force 7 to 8 in high summer, so the usable band is wide -- high teens on an ordinary southerly, a great deal more when the north wind is properly on. Indicative.
Thermal or synoptic
thermal and frontal
Also on record
An automated monthly table gives average wind speeds around 6-9 kt. That is an average of every hour, not the wind you get in a session.
The quiver, in words
Standard sizing for a 75-85 kg rider, not a local measurement: 11-12 m on a light SE or S afternoon, 9 m once it is nearer 20 kt, 7 m or smaller when the summer north wind is up. Pack the small kite for July and August, which carry the year's highest wind-day count.
Direction to shore
onshore for the school-described setup; SE and S are listed as best directions
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month40
- Feb, riders' month40
- Mar, riders' month31
- Apr, riders' month32
- May, riders' month16
- Jun, riders' month30
- Jul, riders' month60
- Aug, riders' month32
- Sep, riders' month28
- Oct, riders' month31
- Nov, riders' month35
- Dec, riders' month29
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 40%Jan18°
- 40%Feb17°
- 31%Mar17°
- 32%Apr18°
- 16%May19°
- 30%Jun23°
- 60%Jul24°
- 32%Aug25°
- 28%Sep25°
- 31%Oct23°
- 35%Nov20°
- 29%Dec19°
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 | 40% | 52% | 44% | 12.1 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 11.9°C | 18.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 40% | 46% | 46% | 11.9 kt | NNE | 14:00 | 12°C | 16.7°C | 57 |
| Mar | 31% | 45% | 39% | 10.6 kt | NNE | 14:00 | 12.7°C | 16.9°C | 62 |
| Apr | 32% | 48% | 40% | 10.8 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 17°C | 17.7°C | 60 |
| May | 16% | 31% | 23% | 9.1 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 20°C | 19.4°C | 62 |
| Jun | 30% | 40% | 33% | 10.2 kt | NNE | 11:00 | 25.2°C | 23.1°C | 60 |
| Jul | 60% | 71% | 65% | 13.1 kt | NNE | 11:00 | 27.7°C | 24.3°C | 62 |
| Aug | 32% | 44% | 40% | 10.3 kt | NNE | 11:00 | 27.3°C | 25.2°C | 62 |
| Sep | 28% | 50% | 32% | 10.1 kt | NNE | 12:00 | 24.5°C | 24.6°C | 60 |
| Oct | 31% | 39% | 34% | 10.7 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 20.6°C | 22.5°C | 62 |
| Nov | 35% | 48% | 38% | 11.2 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 16.8°C | 20.1°C | 60 |
| Dec | 29% | 42% | 32% | 10.4 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 14.7°C | 18.6°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
sea
Standing depth
A long shallow shoreline over sand is reported. The exact distance you can stand is unconfirmed, and the other account of the water is simply chop and small waves.
Tides
Tide independent. No local tide range is published.
Temperature
Summer Chios August average 24.1 C; July average 23.5 C
Winter Chios February average 15.9 C; January average 16.6 C
Wetsuit
Shorts or a shorty in summer, a normal to thick wetsuit in winter. Chios sea temperatures back that up: shorty or nothing in high summer, a full suit from about December to April.
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
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: medium
Somewhere else
Alacati Kite Beach, 20 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Medium pebble beach launch near Karfas and Kontari, with the school on site using the shallow onshore water for teaching. The permitted launch boundaries need local confirmation because of the Chios airport safe zone.
Space
medium
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Message Chios Kitesurfing School before you drive out: the airport safe-zone boundary is the live question.
- Ride it on SE to S, and ask a local before trusting any other direction.
- Give the June to August swimmers a wide margin and keep landings away from the trees.
- Bring booties or old trainers for the pebbles at the launch.
- Read the southerly and frontal timing, not the monthly average table: those 6-9 kt averages include all the hours nobody rides.
Getting there
Airport
Chios Island National Airport (JKH)
Route
Kontari and Karfas sit just south of Chios town and close to the airport. Car and bus both work, with a medium walk at the end. The airport is only a few kilometers from Chios town, and the airport hotels are around Kontari and Karfas.
Transfer
about 5-15 minutes by car from Chios airport or Chios town, depending on exact launch and traffic
Cost level
medium
Staying
Rooms, camping and food are listed around the spot; Karfas and Chios town are the nearest established base.
No-wind days
Chios town, Karfas beach, the mastic villages, Nea Moni, beaches around the island, plus windsurf, SUP and canoe-kayak rental.
FAQ
Is Kontari Beach suitable for beginners?
The beach's kite school teaches beginners through advanced riders in its shallow onshore setup, though independent riding is rated intermediate and expert only elsewhere.
What is the wind like?
A thermal and frontal wind from the south to southeast, listed as usable in every month, with July and August strongest by windy-day count.
Are there kite schools at Kontari?
Yes, Chios Kitesurfing School operates at the spot.
Are there rules or restrictions?
A 2021 petition restored the original airfield safe-zone boundaries after a kitesurfing ban, but the seafront from Chios port to north Karfas is still listed as prohibited for flight safety in places, so the current boundary should be confirmed locally.
Last updated: August 2026