MapMaltaMellieħa, northern MaltaMellieħa BayMellieħa, northern Malta

Mellieħa Bay

Northern Region, Malta · Mellieħa, northern Malta

also known as Ghadira Bay, Ghadira, Għadira Bay, Għadira, Il-Bajja tal-Għadira

Part of Mellieħa, northern Malta →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Oct–Apr

Months riders and schools name

How windy

12-25 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

27 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to intermediate

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

none named here

From the airport

Malta International Airport (MLA)

Transfer times under Getting there

On the clock

11:00 · 12:00

Two different clocks. The summer sea breeze builds from late morning, around 11:00-12:00, peaks in the early afternoon and fades at sunset. Winter Majjistral and Grigal wind is frontal: it arrives with the system, often holds for two to three days at a time, and has no daily onset at all - which is why a winter trip is planned around the front rather than around 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.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Golden Bayno page yet
Għajn Tuffieħa Bayno page yet
St Paul's Bayno page yet
Paradise Bayno page yet

The spot

Mellieħa Bay, or Għadira, is Malta's largest sandy beach and the island's wind-sports bay. It is a session spot rather than a destination: the powered window runs October to April, and summer is lighter, with the beach roped off for swimmers.

The launch

The main bay is shallow sand with waist-deep water a long way out, which is why it turns up in beginner guides, and the launch is what complicates that: the coast road behind the sand, bystanders, power lines, boats in the water, rock along the sides.

Wind directions

NE, E or ESE comes in onshore; NW and W read side-on from some launches; SW and WSW are offshore here and need boat cover, which rules them out for a visiting rider. Expect flat water to chop, with small wind waves when it blows straight into the bay.

Planning your trip

Nothing is rented anywhere on the island, so bring the whole quiver, and let the swimming-zone lines decide the trip: while they are in the water the beach is closed to kites. No active kite school at Mellieħa is on record. Read the 2026 Transport Malta swimmer-zone and launching-lane notices as the baseline, then ask the local riders where they are launching, because the beach setup and the enforcement move from year to year.

The wind

locals call it Tramontana/Tramuntana, Gregale/Grigal, Maestral/Majjistral, Libeccio and summer sea breeze

Direction

cross-onoffshorewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

Cross-onshore. The bay faces north and takes the Majjistral, the northwest workhorse wind, straight in; NE, E and ESE also work from the same beach. SW and WSW are offshore here and need boat cover, which effectively rules them out for a visiting rider.

Dominant direction

NW/WNW overall, with useful N, NE, E/ESE and some SW directions depending launch and support

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Seasonal split for a 75-85 kg rider: 7-9 m with a twin-tip for Grigal days and the harder Majjistral fronts from October to April; 12-15 m, or better a foil, for the lighter May-September sea breeze.There is no dependable middle ground, and nothing to rent on the island, so the standing local advice to a visitor is to bring every size you can carry rather than pack from a forecast.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Reported monthly averages run around 10-13 kt from October-April and 6-8 kt in July-September; a separate 4-year year-round average gives 7.5 kt, with 14.4% of days in the 12-35 kt range.

Typical strength

12-25 kt on usable winter/shoulder-season days; stronger Gregale events can reach 20-35+ kt; summer sea-breeze sessions are lighter and less reliable for powered kiting.

Variable and sometimes gusty; cleaner in established Tramontana/Gregale patterns, gustier in SE/Xlokk or disturbed directions.

October to April is the powered window. Cold fronts crossing the Mediterranean from northwest to southeast deliver Majjistral wind that often holds two to three days at a time, typically around Force 5-6; the Grigal is the winter storm wind and can push past 30 kt with rough, disorganised seas.

From May to September the thermal sea breeze takes over - dependable in its timing, lighter and gustier - and for most of that stretch the beach is closed to kites anyway because the swimming-zone lines are in the water.

Weak wind season

July and August also carry the weakest average winds of the year.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

13 ktJan16°
14 ktFeb15°
13 ktMar15°
12 ktApr16°
10 ktMay18°
8 ktJun22°
8 ktJul25°
8 ktAug26°
9 ktSep26°
10 ktOct23°
12 ktNov21°
14 ktDec18°

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

Monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr).

Measured at Mellieħa, Malta, ~1 km from the spot (multi-decade reanalysis-based climate normals (not a single discrete observing station/year range)).

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	13.4 kt	W	13.1 °C	16.1 °C
Feb	13.5 kt	W	13.1 °C	15 °C
Mar	12.5 kt	W	14.2 °C	15 °C
Apr	11.6 kt	W	16.4 °C	16.1 °C
May	9.9 kt	W	20 °C	18.3 °C
Jun	8.3 kt	W	23.9 °C	21.7 °C
Jul	7.6 kt	W	26.4 °C	25 °C
Aug	7.6 kt	W	26.9 °C	26.1 °C
Sep	9 kt	W	24.7 °C	25.6 °C
Oct	10.2 kt	W	21.7 °C	23.3 °C
Nov	12.3 kt	W	18.1 °C	20.6 °C
Dec	13.6 kt	W	14.4 °C	17.8 °C

How this was measuredmeasured · multi-decade reanalysis-based climate normals (not a single discrete observing station/year range)

A ground station recorded this, at the distance the page names.

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.

Mellieħa, Malta · Weather Spark · multi-decade reanalysis-based climate normals (not a single discrete observing station/year range)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Shallow sandy entry with waist-deep water running well out from the shore, at least the first 50 m and further on the flatter sections, so water starts and repeated falls stay manageable across the inner bay.The bottom is sand, which means no reef scrapes and no urchins in the learning area - unusual for the Mediterranean and the main reason the bay appears in beginner guides at all.

Tides

Micro-tidal Mediterranean spot; current tide tables for Mellieħa show typical height changes of only about 0.1-0.2 m, so tide is not a main riding limiter.

Temperature

27 °C summer · 16 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 15–26 °C

Wetsuit

Summer is boardshorts/shorty; shoulder seasons usually shorty or 3/2; winter needs a full suit, commonly 4/3 to thick wetsuit depending wind chill.

Currents

No spot current is confirmed. Wind direction, chop, boat traffic and the bay entrance all matter more than water movement here. Tidal streams at the narrow entrance are reported and unconfirmed as a real hazard.

Conditions

Sand-bottomed and sheltered: flat when the wind comes off the land, and chop with small wind waves when it blows into the bay. Rock sits along the sides and in parts of the bay, outside the easy sandy middle. The water is clear enough to read the bottom.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for advanceds here

The shallow sand makes it a workable teaching bay with an instructor alongside.

On your own it is harder than it looks: the practical launch can be small, with the road, the bystanders and the power lines right behind it, and SW or WSW days blow offshore and want a boat. It is graded intermediate to expert on that basis.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridebeginner progressionlight-wind freeridewingfoilwindsurfing

Who it suitsbeginnerlessons

A family beach in summer, and in summer kiting is the thing that gives way to swimmers and zoning. Outside the bathing season it is a small local wind-sports crowd, and you are not queueing for water the way you would at a big European kite destination.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Lifeguards cover this Blue Flag beach during the bathing season, which is exactly the period kites are off the water.

Outside it there is no dedicated kite rescue, no boat assist and no rental shack to walk to, so ride with someone who knows the bay.

SW and WSW sessions are offshore from this beach and should not be attempted without a boat.

Launch

Public sand on Malta's largest beach. Rig on the right-hand watersports side, away from the main bathing crowd. It is wide by Malta standards, and the usable launch still shrinks fast once you take out the people on the sand, the coast road and the wires overhead.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Wind

Offshore or cross-offshore SW/WSW winds can push riders away from the beach and require boat assistance
Gregale/strong winter fronts can produce rough, gusty and cold conditions unsuitable for learners

Crowds and zones

recreational boat traffic and anchored vessels
Swimmers and beach users, especially June-September and on warm weekends
Designated swimmer zones and watersports/launching lanes that must be respected
Recreational boat traffic, anchored vessels and organised mooring/fairway areas in Mellieħa Bay
Mooring buoys and ground tackle left in the water through the winter after the boats have gone, a snagging hazard on the riding line
No lifeguard or rescue cover at all outside the bathing season, which is the whole kiting season

Bottom

shallow areas and submerged rocks toward the shoreline edges
rocky outcrops along the northern and eastern shore
Rocks on the sides of the bay and reported rocks in parts of the bay

Protected areas and rules

Għadira Nature Reserve borders the area; avoid disturbing protected birds and stay out of sensitive reserve margins

Other

Road, bystanders and power lines behind parts of the launch area
Beach furniture behind the sand - bins, umbrella bases, fences, cafés - in the way of a downed kite

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: the controlling rule is the swimmer zone, not a kite permit.

Swimmer zones

Transport Malta's Local Notice to Mariners No. 076 of 2026 sets the zones reserved for swimmers around Malta and Gozo, and No. 130 of 2026 bans mooring or anchoring near or inside designated launching lanes and requires vessels to keep at least 20 m clear of swimmer zones and restricted navigational areas.

Seasonal pattern

What riders actually go by is simpler: while the swimming-zone lines are in the water the beach is closed to kiting, and the season reopens when the lines come out. That is roughly June to the end of September or October depending on the year and the beach.

No special permits

There is no kite-specific permit, no club membership or insurance requirement on record, and no marked kite corridor at Għadira - the swimming-zone line and the watersports lane buoys are the only markings that matter. Read the buoys, not the calendar.

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

Read the buoys, not the calendar: while the swimming-zone line is in the water the beach is closed to kites, and the dates move year to year.
Bring the whole quiver and a proper full wetsuit: 7 to 9 m for the winter fronts, 12 to 15 m or a foil for the summer breeze, and nothing to hire on the island.
Check the angle against the exact section you plan to launch from; a good forecast can still be offshore from your piece of the beach.
For a first session here, find the local riders or an instructor rather than self-launching in the middle of the tourist beach.
After the summer boats leave, their moorings stay in the water: look along the line you plan to ride before the first run.
The live weather station at Mellieħa gives real-time readings when it is working; the only spot webcam on the island points at Golden Bay, which is a westerly spot, not this one.

Getting there

Airport

Malta International Airport (MLA), Luqa

Route

Drive or take a taxi north across Malta to Mellieħa and Għadira. On the bus, route 250 runs Valletta to Għadira and routes 41, 42 and X300 link Valletta and Cirkewwa, with airport connections that vary by season and by route.

Transfer

About 45-55 min by taxi or car in normal traffic. The bus takes roughly 60-120 min depending on the connection and the traffic.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Mellieħa is the base: hotels and apartments around Għadira, quieter rooms up the hill in the village. Bugibba, Qawra or St Paul's Bay give more restaurants and more open after dark, a short drive from the bay.

No-wind days

Għadira Nature Reserve, Popeye Village/Anchor Bay, Red Tower, Gozo and Comino boat trips, Malta diving, Mdina, Valletta, coastal walks and general beach/swimming days.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Mellieħa Bay?

October to April is the main powered-wind window; May-September brings lighter sea breezes and summer beach/swimmer zoning that limits access.

Is Mellieħa Bay suitable for beginners?

Yes, the shallow sandy bay is widely used for lessons and supervised progression, though independent beginners should be cautious of small launch space near roads and power lines and of offshore SW/WSW wind.

What is the wind like at Mellieħa Bay?

Wind is variable and sometimes gusty, averaging about 10-13 knots October-April and 6-8 knots July-September, with winter Gregale events reaching 20-35+ knots.

Are there rules for kiting at Mellieħa Bay?

As of 2026, Transport Malta notices require kiters to stay out of designated swimmer zones and respect launching lanes, and riders report kiting as effectively restricted or prohibited June-September.

Are there kite schools at Mellieħa Bay?

Surfing Malta / Windsurfing Malta operates on site for windsurfing, wing foiling and SUP lessons and rental, though it is not verified as an active kite school.

The bigger pictureEverything about Mellieħa, northern Malta

Last updated: August 2026