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Creta · Heraklion regional unit, south coast · Heraklion Regional Unit

Matala

also known as Matala Beach, Crete / Matala, Matala / Crete

advanced onlyhigh crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Kalamaki 4 km · Kokkinos Pyrgos 6 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25mixed Launchsmallaccess rules on record, below Watersea24-26°C in summer · 9 things riders flag LevelAdvanced onlywith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airportin words under Getting thereInternational Airport (HER)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Matala is a small spot: a west-facing U-shaped bay on Crete's south coast, about 250 m wide, sandy, with rocky cliffs closing both ends. The Meltemi wraps in from NW and WNW as side-onshore, usually 15-25 knots in summer, and the terrain behind can throw gusts even when the bay looks sheltered.

Water is flat to choppy and tide independent, over a bottom of sand and rock, with submerged rocks to remember. The bay softens the wind compared with the offshore Messara-plain spots inland, which is the reason to ride here rather than there.

From June to August it is a tourist beach with caves, tavernas and swimmers, and most of the usable launch space disappears. Treat it as an advanced spot if you are riding independently. There is no kite school on site and no rescue arrangement anyone has confirmed.

Come in May or October if you want the bay to yourself and can accept fewer wind days than the north coast.

The wind

locals call it Meltemi

Direction

cross-onNW

Character

mixed

Typical strength

15-25

less frequent than Crete north-coast spots; gusts possible from terrain

May to October is the season and summer is the best of it. June to September also works, but wind days are fewer here than on Crete's north coast.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal

Direction to shore

side-onshore in the west-facing bay

Dominant direction

NW, WNW

Forecast

Month by month

Jan30
Feb27
Mar30
Apr33
May, riders' month24
Jun, riders' month19
Jul, riders' month23
Aug, riders' month42
Sep, riders' month17
Oct, riders' month4
Nov20
Dec16

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

9Jan18°
9Feb17°
10Mar17°
10Apr18°
9May20°
9Jun24°
10Jul26°
10Aug28°
9Sep27°
7Oct25°
9Nov23°
8Dec20°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	30%	9.1 kt	W	13°C	18.2°C
Feb	27%	9.2 kt	WNW	12.8°C	17.2°C
Mar	30%	9.8 kt	WNW	13.8°C	17.3°C
Apr	33%	10.2 kt	WNW	17.2°C	18°C
May	24%	9.3 kt	W	20°C	20°C
Jun	19%	9.3 kt	W	25.1°C	23.9°C
Jul	23%	9.5 kt	WNW	28.5°C	26.2°C
Aug	42%	10.3 kt	WNW	27.5°C	27.5°C
Sep	17%	8.8 kt	WNW	25.1°C	26.9°C
Oct	4%	7.4 kt	W	21.4°C	25.2°C
Nov	20%	8.9 kt	WNW	18.1°C	22.5°C
Dec	16%	7.8 kt	NE	15.2°C	19.7°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

Tides

tide independent

Temperature

24-26°C summer · 15-18°C winter

Wetsuit

lycra or shorts in summer; wetsuit in spring/autumn; long wetsuit in winter

17–28°C water

Flat-to-choppy water in a clean sea bay, with chop and waves from NW wind; cliffs partly protect the eastern side of the bay, and the bottom is sandy/rocky.

Your level

not for beginners herenot for intermediates hereadvanced

Ratings for Matala run from intermediate-and-expert to advanced, with tourist traffic, cliffs, submerged rocks and gusts counting against it. The atlas takes the conservative line: advanced for independent riders. A confident intermediate should check the space, the swimmer zones and the wind quality on the day.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridechopstrong-wind sessions

A tourist beach in a historic village: caves in the cliff, tavernas, cafes and rooms around the bay.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: small

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Kalamaki, 4 km

Kalamaki Kokkinos Pyrgos

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

Launch

Launch from the sandy beach inside Matala bay; the bay is about 250 m wide and space is limited when tourists are present.

Space

small

Rules & access

As of 2026, no Matala-specific municipal kite ordinance was found; respect swimmers and designated swimming zones in the tourist area. Greece-wide kitesurf rules apply nationally: kitesurfing is prohibited at heavily frequented beaches, before sunrise/after sunset, within 200 m of swimmers/rocks/obstacles/anchored boats, within 1 nautical mile of ports/marinas/fish farms, within 200 m of the shoreline except past swimmer-limit buoys, and in wind above 6 Beaufort without lifeguard and powered-vessel rescue support.

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

Rider tips

Look at the beach before you unroll anything; in summer the sunbathers take most of the launch space.
Keep clear of the rocky ends of the bay and stay outside the swimmer zone.
Assume NW/WNW days are gusty even when the water inside the bay looks smooth.
Fly into Heraklion and drive: 60-85 minutes by road, and there is no better airport for it.
Base yourself in Matala village if the no-wind days matter, and budget for the paid village parking in summer.

Getting there

Airport

Heraklion International Airport (HER)

Route

Drive south from Heraklion toward Moires/Tympaki and then follow signs to Matala; an alternative route is south on road 97, then west on 77 before Timbaki.

Transfer

60-85 minutes from Heraklion Airport by road, depending on route and traffic.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Matala village has tavernas, cafes and rooms. Village parking is paid in summer.

No-wind days

Matala caves, Red Beach, Komos/Kalamaki beach walks, Phaistos archaeological site, Messara villages, tavernas and south-coast sightseeing

Photos

Cliff of the Matala Bay, Crete, Greece 003 — Moonik, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Matala?

May to October is the listed season, with June to September most cited, though wind days are less frequent than on Crete's north coast.

Is Matala suitable for beginners?

The bay is treated as an advanced spot due to its small size, submerged rocks, cliffs at both ends and possible terrain gusts.

What is the wind like at Matala?

Meltemi wraps into the west-facing bay from the northwest/west-northwest as side-onshore wind, usually 15-25 knots.

What are the hazards at Matala?

Submerged rocks and rocky cliffs bound the roughly 250 m bay, and launch space shrinks quickly once summer tourist crowds arrive.

Last updated: August 2026