MapGreeceMastichari – Marmari, KosMarmari (Kos)Mastichari – Marmari, Kos

Marmari (Kos)

South Aegean · Kos - Mastichari/Marmari · Kos Regional Unit

also known as Golden Beach, Alykes

Part of Mastichari – Marmari, Kos →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

choppybeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Jun–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-35

Character: thermal

Room to launch

Wide sandy beach, though the kite section itself is reportedly small, with trees close behind it.

access rules on record, below

Water

chop, small to medium waves

24 °C in summerWide sandy beach with easy entry

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

20 min

Kos International Airport (KGS)

When it fills in

Light in the morning, building steadily and strongest through the afternoon, then dropping away around sunset. The angle moves with the strength: onshore to side-onshore from the right in the morning, often swinging more westerly and further side-on by the afternoon. Plan the session backwards from the evening lull.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Kefalos (Kohilari Beach)
Tigakino page yet

The spot

Marmari is on the north coast of Kos, and the kite launch is east of the village at Golden Beach/Alykes, roughly 400 m past the main watersports station. The Meltemi comes N to NW, squeezed by the island geography, and blows onshore to side-onshore at 15-35 knots. It builds through the morning, peaks in the afternoon and drops around sunset, so plan the session backwards from the lull.

Water and entry

Entry is sandy and easy; the water is choppy to wavy rather than flat, more so as the wind fills in.

Rules and levels

Since 2011 kiting has been banned in front of the wide swimming beach, so use the designated kite zone and read the signage before you rig. Schools here teach every level and the beach works for a family holiday with the big hotels behind it, but a beginner alone in an afternoon Meltemi will have a bad time.

Watch the trees at the back of the beach when you land. 10-12 m covers most days.

The wind

locals call it Meltemi

Direction

onshoreN to NW

Direction to shore

Onshore to side-onshore from the right in the morning, often turning more westerly and further side-on through the afternoon.

Kite sizes

5678910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For 75-85 kg: 10-12 m covers the ordinary Meltemi afternoon, 13-14 m for the light morning or a soft day, 9 m once it is properly on. A 7 m only earns its place at the top of the 35-knot days. Indicative rather than a local quiver table; nobody here publishes one.

Character

thermal

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

15-35

Typical strength

15-35

steady but can be strong/gusty

Wind probability is reportedly over 90% from July to September, with good chances in May, June and October. The narrower local version puts the best window at June-September, 80-90% wind in the June-August high season, and nothing regular off-season.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan79
Feb75
Mar79
Apr71
May61
Jun, riders' month75
Jul, riders' month90
Aug, riders' month77
Sep, riders' month72
Oct58
Nov67
Dec73

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

16 ktJan20°
16 ktFeb18°
16 ktMar18°
15 ktApr18°
13 ktMay20°
14 ktJun23°
16 ktJul25°
14 ktAug27°
14 ktSep26°
13 ktOct25°
14 ktNov23°
15 ktDec21°

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

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.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	79%	16.2 kt	N	13 °C	19.5 °C
Feb	75%	15.7 kt	N	13 °C	18 °C
Mar	79%	15.5 kt	NNW	13.6 °C	17.6 °C
Apr	71%	14.6 kt	NW	16.7 °C	18.3 °C
May	61%	12.7 kt	NNW	19.8 °C	19.9 °C
Jun	75%	13.6 kt	NW	24.1 °C	23.2 °C
Jul	90%	16.4 kt	NNW	27.1 °C	25.3 °C
Aug	77%	13.9 kt	NW	26.9 °C	26.9 °C
Sep	72%	14 kt	NNW	25 °C	26.4 °C
Oct	58%	12.7 kt	NNW	21.5 °C	24.9 °C
Nov	67%	13.9 kt	NNW	18.1 °C	22.6 °C
Dec	73%	14.7 kt	N	15.4 °C	20.6 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2020-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

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

chop, small to medium waves

Standing depth

Shallow sandy entry, reportedly; how far the standable water runs is unconfirmed.

Tides

Not a planning factor. The astronomical tide in this corner of the Aegean is small enough to ignore for the launch, the entry and the standing area, and the usual forecast services publish no tide table for Kos at all. What moves the water level here is wind and pressure over a run of days, not a clock.

Temperature

24 °C summer · 17 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 18–27 °C

Wetsuit

high summer: boardshorts or shorty; winter/beginners: thin wetsuit; general Kos data indicates no wetsuit needed in summer and wetsuit in winter

Conditions

Wide sandy beach with easy entry. The water runs slightly choppy to wavy, up to medium wave once the Meltemi is properly on.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Schools here take beginners through to advanced riders. Renting independently may require a VDWS or IKO certificate at some of them.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridefreestylestrong windfamily kite holiday

Who it suitsbeginner

resort-adjacent, family-friendly, livelier in high season because several large hotels are nearby

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

6 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Wide sandy beach, though the kite section itself is reportedly small, with trees close behind it.

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

7 spots nearby

All 7 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

A rescue boat runs from the beach station and a rescue service watches the water during operating hours, with radio-equipped, multilingual staff. Cover is the centres' cover: it exists while they are open and not otherwise.

Launch

Sandy Golden Beach/Alykes launch east of Marmari, near Caravia Beach Hotel. The kite spot is about 400 m beyond the main watersports station.

Rules & access

1 min read

Since 2011, kiting has been prohibited in front of the wide beach that became a swimming zone; use the designated kite zone at Golden Beach/Alykes and verify current signage locally.

2026: no newer municipal decision or port-authority text for Marmari appears on the municipality's public pages, so the practical rule is unchanged — launch from the signed kite area east of the main watersports station and stay off the swimming beach. Renting independently needs a certificate at the local centres, VDWS 4 or IKO 3 as the usual bar.

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

Do not rig on the main swimming beach. The kite area is the signed zone at Golden Beach/Alykes.
Drive east past Caravia Beach Hotel, then walk the roughly 400 m beyond the main watersports station to the kite launch.
Take the afternoon for the strongest wind and be off the water before the sunset lull.
Bring your VDWS or IKO card if you want to rent independently; some schools ask for it.
Land clear of the trees at the back of the beach.
Bring your VDWS or IKO card if you want to rent independently; VDWS 4 or IKO 3 is the usual bar.
Expect the angle to swing more westerly through the afternoon; the morning line upwind is not the afternoon line.
Gear storage sits behind the dunes about 100 m back, with fresh water for rinsing.

Getting there

Airport

Kos International Airport (KGS)

Route

Drive toward Marmari and Caravia Beach Hotel, then follow the coastal access to the kite spot east of town; rental car is easiest, taxis are available, and public buses connect main resorts.

Transfer

20 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Accommodation is available near the spot and in Marmari; Caravia Beach Hotel is directly by the local watersports setup.

No-wind days

Horse riding, go-karting, Kos Town, Asclepion, Paleo Pili, restaurants and pubs in Marmari, and island excursions.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Marmari, Kos?

July through September have over 90% wind probability, with good chances also reported in May, June and October.

Is Marmari, Kos suitable for beginners?

It is described as suitable for all levels by local sources, though independent renters may need VDWS or IKO certification at some schools.

What is the wind like at Marmari, Kos?

North to northwest Meltemi typically blows 15-35 knots, building through the morning and strongest in the afternoon before dropping around sunset.

Are there restricted zones at Marmari, Kos?

Kiting has been prohibited in front of the main swimming beach since 2011, so riders must use the designated kite zone at Golden Beach/Alykes.

Are there kite schools at Marmari, Kos?

KitesurfingKos, Horizon Surfing Center and a KiteWorldWide partner all operate at the Marmari/Golden Beach spot.

The bigger pictureEverything about Kos - Mastichari/Marmari

Last updated: August 2026