Nearby Kiti–Mazotos (Careta / Softades Beach) 9 km · Pyla (CTO Beach) 13 km · Ayia Napa 35 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
10:00
Flat and calm early. A light breeze arrives around 10:00, the real wind fills in after lunch, and it holds steady until sundown.
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.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Flat and calm early. A light breeze arrives around 10:00, the real wind fills in after lunch, and it holds steady until sundown.
Typical strength
18-25 kt from early afternoon through the May-August season; mornings sit under 10 kt and the sea is glassy at dawn.
Also on record
9
Direction to shore
Side-shore. The May-August wind is south-south-west and runs along the beach; the March-April and late-autumn north-easterlies come in on the other tack.
Dominant direction
SW (dominant Mar-Oct per the nearest wind station, at Larnaca); NW dominates Nov-Feb
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan36
- Feb32
- Mar37
- Apr35
- May, riders' month44
- Jun, riders' month53
- Jul, riders' month48
- Aug, riders' month55
- Sep, riders' month34
- Oct16
- Nov18
- Dec15
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 10Jan19°
- 10Feb18°
- 11Mar18°
- 10Apr20°
- 11May22°
- 11Jun26°
- 11Jul29°
- 11Aug30°
- 10Sep29°
- 9Oct26°
- 9Nov23°
- 9Dec20°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36% | 10.3 kt | N | 13.1°C | 18.6°C |
| Feb | 32% | 9.8 kt | N | 12.9°C | 17.7°C |
| Mar | 37% | 11 kt | SW | 14.7°C | 18.1°C |
| Apr | 35% | 10.4 kt | SW | 19.1°C | 19.6°C |
| May | 44% | 11 kt | SW | 23°C | 21.9°C |
| Jun | 53% | 11.3 kt | SSW | 26.3°C | 25.8°C |
| Jul | 48% | 11 kt | SSW | 29.9°C | 28.8°C |
| Aug | 55% | 11.1 kt | SSW | 29.4°C | 30°C |
| Sep | 34% | 10.2 kt | SW | 27.2°C | 28.6°C |
| Oct | 16% | 9.3 kt | NW | 23.9°C | 26.1°C |
| Nov | 18% | 8.9 kt | N | 18.9°C | 23.1°C |
| Dec | 15% | 8.5 kt | N | 15.2°C | 20.3°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 (2020-2024), 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 · 2020-2024
The water
Type
flat
Standing depth
You can wade roughly 50 m and still be waist-deep on sand. Past that it drops off, comes back up over a shallower bank, then falls away to foiling depth, so the standing water is a band near the shore rather than the whole bay.
Tides
Tide-independent. The range does not change where you launch or how far you can wade, and no local tidal figure is published for this stretch of Larnaca bay.
Temperature
Summer 26-29 (Larnaca-area average, peaks in August)
Winter 17-18 (coldest around February)
Wetsuit
Not needed roughly June-September; a 3/2mm or shorty is worth having in the cooler months when the sea sits around 17-18C
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: huge
Somewhere else
Kiti–Mazotos (Careta / Softades Beach), 9 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
A 1 km sandy Blue Flag beach with no rocks or reef. The watersports launch is a roughly 60 m gap between two stone groynes, with a buoyed channel running out through the edge of the swimming zone; parking is paid and supervised behind the beach restaurants, about 100 m of carry from the water.Larnaca airport's runway is 500 m away and aircraft cross low overhead. Kites are not launched here - the Larnaka kite beaches are down the coast at Kiti/Softades and Mazotos.
Space
huge
Rules & access
- KiteMed asks visitors to check the spot's specific location rules/guidelines before going out
- 2025: there is no kitesurfing zone at Mackenzie Beach. Larnaca airport's approach runs 500 m away, the control tower does not allow kites over this stretch, and the beach operates as windsurf, wing foil and eFoil water only.
- 2026: the Larnaka district's designated kitesurfing beaches are in the Mazotos/Kiti area and at The Spot, Softades - down the coast, not here. Mackenzie is listed under windsurfing.
- A buoyed channel separates the watersports launch from the lifeguarded swimming zone; enter and exit through the marked corridor and stay out of the bathing area.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Come after 12:00; the wind builds through the day and holds until sundown. Mornings are for SUP and windsurfing.
- Launch from the bay beach by the KiteMed base, a 15-minute drive from Larnaca.
- Read the school's location rules page before your first session; there is no other published rule for the bay.
- Standing depth covers a large area, so you can walk back; still, no rescue boat is recorded, so do not count on one.
- Do not bring a kite here. There is no kite zone at Mackenzie and the airport approach is the reason; the Larnaka kite beaches are at Kiti/Softades and Mazotos, 20-30 minutes down the coast.
- For wing or windsurf, come after lunch: dawn is glass, a light breeze arrives around 10:00, and the south-south-west fills in for the afternoon and holds to sundown.
- Launch through the buoyed channel between the two groynes and keep out of the swimming zone next to it.
- You can wade about 50 m and still stand, which is what makes the first hour of a lesson easy; past the bank it drops away.
- May to August is the season. March-April and the autumn swing between north-east and south-west, and the sea is 17-18 C from January to April.
Getting there
Airport
LCA - Larnaca International Airport
Route
About 15 minutes' drive from Larnaca International Airport, roughly 45 minutes from Nicosia, and about an hour from Ayia Napa, Protaras or Limassol. The Kiti/Softades kite beaches are a further 15-20 minutes down the coast.
Cost level
mid
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Mackenzie Beach?
Wind builds through the day and stays constant until sundown, so kitesurfing is best from around midday onward.
Is Mackenzie Beach suitable for beginners?
Yes, the shallow bay with standing depth over a large area is used by the KiteMed school for beginner lessons through advanced coaching.
How do you get to Mackenzie Beach?
It is about a 15-minute drive from Larnaca and its international airport.
Last updated: August 2026