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Cicladi · Mykonos · Mykonos Regional Unit · Ornos

Korfos Bay

also known as Korfos Beach, Κόρφος, Paralia Korfos

flat waterbeginner-friendlyhigh 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 Ftelia Bay 6 km · Santa Maria 33 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy15-30 knotssynoptic Launchlimitedaccess rules on record, below Watersandy Aegean bay with flat sections, chop and small waves24-26°C in summer · 11 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airportin words under Getting thereInternational Airport (JMK)

Meltemi

13:00 · 17:00

early afternoon peak; the strongest window is placed around 13:00-17:00, with the Meltemi mainly establishing in the afternoon

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.

Korfos Bay is the kite base on Mykonos, right beside Ornos and a few minutes from Mykonos Town. The bay faces north and squeezes the summer Meltemi, so most summer days run 15-30 knots, with the strongest window around 13:00-17:00 and gusty 35-knot days when the compression really works.

Inside the bay the sand is shallow and the water flattens; farther out and to the west it turns choppy with small waves, while the eastern side stays flatter. Duotone Pro Center Mykonos is on the beach with IKO-qualified instructors, gear and boat-guided lessons, which is the sane way in if you cannot hold upwind yet.

The limitation is space, not wind: the beach is narrow, the first meters of water are packed, and both ends of the spot finish in rocks with a road and cables downwind. Skip it if what you want is an empty bay for unsupervised first sessions.

May to September is the season, and July and August are both the windiest and the busiest.

The wind

locals call it Meltemi

Direction

onshoreN to NE

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: early afternoon peak; the strongest window is placed around 13:00-17:00, with the Meltemi mainly establishing in the afternoon

Typical strength

15-30 knots on most summer days; gusty 35-knot days are also reported, with many gusts when the compressed Meltemi exceeds 30 knots

reliable summer Meltemi, locally accelerated/compressed by the bay and hills; can be strong and gusty above 30 knots

May to September is the kite season, with July and August the windiest months; the 20-24 knot average belongs to those peak months rather than to the year. The centre's operating season runs Easter to the end of October, and the bay is open all year, but the documented kite season is the summer Meltemi. October brings the wind further east and the water turns bumpy.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic Meltemi, often afternoon reinforced

Also on record

The quiver, in words

For 75-85 kg: a 9 m covers the standard 20-24 knot summer Meltemi, a 7 m takes the days that run 28 knots and gust to 35, and 11-12 m handles the lighter 15-18 knot afternoons of May, June and late September. Two kites is the realistic quiver here, because the wind moves several knots inside one session.

Direction to shore

onshore to side-onshore in the north-facing bay

Forecast

Month by month

Jan89
Feb79
Mar78
Apr86
May, riders' month77
Jun, riders' month86
Jul, riders' month96
Aug, riders' month82
Sep, riders' month83
Oct84
Nov81
Dec75

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

18Jan16°
18Feb16°
17Mar16°
17Apr17°
15May19°
17Jun23°
20Jul25°
17Aug26°
16Sep25°
17Oct23°
17Nov20°
15Dec17°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	89%	18.1 kt	N	12.8°C	16.4°C
Feb	79%	17.9 kt	N	12.8°C	16.1°C
Mar	78%	16.5 kt	N	13.4°C	16.2°C
Apr	86%	16.9 kt	N	16.9°C	17.4°C
May	77%	15.1 kt	N	19.3°C	19.1°C
Jun	86%	17.4 kt	NNW	24.1°C	22.7°C
Jul	96%	20.2 kt	N	26.6°C	24.9°C
Aug	82%	17 kt	NNW	26.5°C	25.9°C
Sep	83%	16.4 kt	N	24.5°C	24.8°C
Oct	84%	16.9 kt	N	20.9°C	22.9°C
Nov	81%	16.9 kt	N	17.4°C	19.9°C
Dec	75%	15.2 kt	N	15.1°C	17.4°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

sandy Aegean bay with flat sections, chop and small waves

Standing depth

Shallow and standable over the sand close in, across a bay about 400 m wide; it deepens offshore, and lessons for riders who cannot hold upwind run from a boat in the deeper water on the north side.

Tides

Negligible tide; Mykonos tidal range is about 0.10-0.14 m, so Korfos Bay is tide independent.

Temperature

24-26°C summer · 16°C winter

Wetsuit

boardshorts or shorty in high summer; a shorty or 3/2 can still be needed in summer, so bring neoprene for windy/cool days and outside peak season

16–26°C water

The inside of Korfos Bay is sandy and shallow, with flatter water near the beach. Farther out, the water is choppier with small waves; the western part has small waves and the eastern part is flatter.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The school teaches every level here and the water near the beach is shallow, but independent riding is rated intermediate to advanced: the wind is onshore, the first meters are crowded, and you have to go upwind reliably. A beginner belongs in the school setup rather than self-launching into peak traffic.

The scene

What riders come here for

lessonsfreeridefreestylesmall jumpswingfoilkitefoil

Organized Mykonos kite-center scene: visiting riders, lessons and assisted sessions, social and convenient, and tight at the water's edge when the Meltemi is up.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: limited

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Ftelia Bay, 6 km

Ftelia Bay Santa Maria

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

Rescue

No public rescue service covers the bay. The cover that exists on the water belongs to the kite centre and follows its lessons, rentals and boat sessions; nothing confirms it extends to independent riders. The Mykonos port authority is on 2289022218 (mykonos@hcg.gr), 108 reaches the coastguard and 112 the general emergency service.

Launch

Sandy beach launch in the Korfos Bay kite area used by Duotone Pro Center Mykonos/Kite Mykonos, about 400 m of sand. The beach is not very wide and the first meters from the water are very crowded; launch away from the rocky ends and use local assistance when busy.The centre sets buoys at the two ends of the beach as the line riders are asked not to cross, and swimmers are pointed outside them so the two groups stay apart.

Space

limited

Hazards riders report 11

rocks on the sides of the beach
crowded launch area
fishing nets can appear late in the day
Onshore wind, sometimes very strong.
Gusty compressed Meltemi above about 30 knots.
Crowded first meters from the beach.
Rocks at the ends of the spot and near shoreline areas.
Wind corridors at the eastern and western ends followed by rocks, a road and cables.
the national 200 m distances from swimmers, obstacles and shore are hard to hold in a small busy bay unless the marked local channel is respected
the bay can be closed for racing: a port authority decision shut it to all activity 15-21 June 2026, 09:00-19:00
submerged rocks close to shore at the ends of the beach; booties are worth having

Rules & access

2026: the national kitesurf regulations prohibit riding before sunrise and after sunset, within 200 m of swimmers, within 200 m of anchored boats, markers, rocks, reefs and other obstacles, and closer than 200 m to shore except beyond the swimmer buoys; the launch area must be unobstructed and at sufficient distance from airports and from the imaginary approach and takeoff lines. Mandatory equipment includes helmet, life jacket, line knife and quick release, plus an isothermal suit from 15 October to 15 May. Locally the kite centre marks the bay with buoys at both ends as the limit riders should not cross, and swimmers are directed outside that line. The bay can also be closed outright for events: port authority decision 2131.19/608/2026 of 10 June 2026 banned all vessel traffic, anchoring, marine recreation craft and any other activity inside a box off Korfos beach from 15 to 21 June 2026, 09:00 to 19:00, for the Open Panhellenic Interclub Kiteboarding race. No standing municipal ordinance specific to Korfos is published.

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

Rider tips

Get there early or square it with Duotone Pro Center Mykonos before the afternoon fills in if you need rental, a lesson or a hand launching.
Stay out of the wind corridors at the eastern and western ends: rocks, then the road and cables, sit right behind them.
Pack a shorty or 3/2 even in summer; the water is 24-26 C but the Meltemi takes the warmth off it.
If you cannot ride upwind reliably, take the boat-supported session instead of drifting through the crowded first meters.
Keep inside the buoys the centre sets at the two ends of the beach, and expect swimmers outside them.
Check the Mykonos port authority notices before a June trip: race weeks close the whole bay from 09:00 to 19:00.

Getting there

Airport

Mykonos International Airport (JMK)

Route

Korfos is next to Ornos, a few kilometers from Mykonos Town. From JMK a taxi or transfer is simplest with gear: roughly 3.7 km and about 4 minutes. The bus works too, but means changing via Fabrika or Ornos.

Transfer

5-15 minutes by taxi/transfer from JMK depending on traffic and pickup; around 30-40 minutes by bus routing via Fabrika/Ornos

Cost level

high

Staying

Stay in Ornos or Korfos to walk to the beach, or in Mykonos Town for nightlife and transport. Kite Mykonos Village sits beside Korfos beach.

No-wind days

Delos, Mykonos Town, Little Venice, Ornos restaurants, RIB trips to Rineia/Delos, diving, catamaran trips, beaches on the lee side of the island

Photos

Mikonos Spiaggia di Ornos - panoramio — Marco Monelli, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Korfos Bay?

The main season is May to September, with July and August the windiest months and wind typically peaking between about 13:00 and 17:00.

Is Korfos Bay suitable for beginners?

Duotone Pro Center Mykonos runs lessons for all levels, but independent riding is rated intermediate to advanced because the wind is onshore and the first meters from the beach are very crowded.

What is the wind like?

A strong, funneled summer Meltemi from N to NE, typically 15-30 knots with gusty days reaching around 35 knots.

Are there kite schools at Korfos Bay?

Yes, Duotone Pro Center Mykonos / Kite Mykonos operates directly on the beach with IKO-qualified instructors.

What are the hazards?

Rocks at the sides of the beach, a crowded launch area, and gusty compressed Meltemi above about 30 knots.

Last updated: August 2026