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Egeo settentrionale e Sporadi · Samos · Samos Regional Unit · Psili Ammos

Mykali Beach

also known as Samos / Mykali Beach, Mikali Beach, Μυκάλη

advanced onlyhigh 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 Kedros Beach 10 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy9 ktmixed Launchbigaccess rules on record, below Watersea24.5°C in summer · 19 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section

Schoolsnone named here

From the airportno transfer time publishedInternational Airport (SMI)

When it fills in

No daily fill-in to wait for. The Meltemi builds through the afternoon and often eases overnight, and at this beach it blows offshore. The southerlies that make the spot work come with a passing system and can hold at any hour of the day, so the forecast decides the session, not the clock.

Mykali is a long pebble beach on the south coast of Samos, just west of Psili Ammos, and it works only in southerly wind. The usual Samos wind is the NE/NNE Meltemi, and here that blows straight offshore across the Mycale Strait toward Turkey, which is the whole reason this spot is not a casual session.

The water goes deep quickly; you cannot walk out. Chop and medium waves are the normal description, while the narrow strait also gets called flat water, and the two do not agree. Some sections have grass behind the pebbles, which is where you rig if you want to keep the kite intact.

In July, August and September the organized middle of the beach fills with swimmers, bars and sunbeds, so that part is off the table. Water is around 24.5 C in summer and 16.3 C in winter, with summer air reported at 25-35 C.

The wind

locals call it Meltemi

Direction

offshorewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Character

mixed

fills in: No daily fill-in to wait for. The Meltemi builds through the afternoon and often eases overnight, and at this beach it blows offshore. The southerlies that make the spot work come with a passing system and can hold at any hour of the day, so the forecast decides the session, not the clock.

Typical strength

Nothing is measured at the beach. The airport station a few kilometres west averages about 9 kt across the year with gusts near 21 kt, and that mean is carried by the NE Meltemi, which is the wrong direction here. Meltemi days in the Aegean run to Beaufort 7-8. The southerly setup that actually makes Mykali rideable has no published strength range.

Usable only in the uncommon southerly setups. The common NE/NNE wind is gusty and offshore.

No best months exist for Mykali itself; the May-October window quoted for the wider region is not a Mykali figure. Ask Samos riders what actually works, because the standard Meltemi direction is unsafe off this south-coast launch.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal

Also on record

Direction to shore

southerly winds are the usable directions; NE/NNE Meltemi is offshore toward Turkey

Dominant direction

NE / NNE Meltemi is common on Samos

Forecast

Month by month

Jan62
Feb54
Mar58
Apr51
May, riders' month32
Jun, riders' month58
Jul, riders' month81
Aug, riders' month35
Sep, riders' month43
Oct, riders' month41
Nov48
Dec47

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.

13Jan18°
13Feb17°
12Mar17°
12Apr18°
10May20°
11Jun24°
13Jul25°
10Aug27°
10Sep26°
10Oct23°
12Nov21°
11Dec19°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	62%	13.2 kt	N	11.4°C	18.4°C
Feb	54%	12.8 kt	N	11.4°C	16.6°C
Mar	58%	12.1 kt	N	12.5°C	16.7°C
Apr	51%	12 kt	NNW	17.2°C	17.9°C
May	32%	9.7 kt	NNW	20.6°C	19.9°C
Jun	58%	11.2 kt	NNW	26.7°C	23.7°C
Jul	81%	13.2 kt	NNW	29.8°C	24.5°C
Aug	35%	9.6 kt	NNW	28.8°C	26.6°C
Sep	43%	10.3 kt	NNW	25.2°C	25.5°C
Oct	41%	10 kt	N	20.8°C	23.3°C
Nov	48%	11.8 kt	N	16.5°C	21.2°C
Dec	47%	11 kt	N	14°C	19.3°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 (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

Standing depth

Deep; you cannot walk far in the water.

Tides

not tide dependent

Temperature

24.5°C summer · 16.3°C winter

Wetsuit

winter wetsuit necessary; summer air is reported as 25-35 C

17–27°C water

Chop and medium waves on a long organized beach of medium pebbles, with clear water. The narrow Mycale Strait next to it is elsewhere called flat water, which does not match the chop.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Rated intermediate and expert in one place, advanced in another. Deep water, a pebble launch, an offshore prevailing wind and the border a short way across rule out beginners.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridewaveschopmedium wavesoccasional southerly sessions

An organized Samos beach with bars and sunbeds. Kiting happens on local knowledge, not as a school scene.

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: big

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Kedros Beach, 10 km

Kedros Beach

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

Rescue

None. No lifeguard, no rescue boat and no active kite school has been confirmed on this beach. The surf club on the sand is somewhere to ask about the forecast, not a rescue service.

National rules also close the loop: riding is prohibited when the wind pushes you toward open sea and no lifeguard or authorised person with a powerboat is present to help, which is the standard Meltemi day here. Plan on self-rescue, a buddy on the beach and a phone in a dry pouch.

Launch

Very long pebble beach; some sections have grass behind the pebbles where kiters can rig and launch. Organized facilities and beach bars sit mainly near the middle of the beach.

Space

big

Rules & access

2026: no Mykali-specific ordinance was found and the standing advice is to ask locally. The national rules that apply: no kitesurfing within 200 m of swimmers; no riding closer than 200 m to the shoreline except through a marked corridor at least 100 m long and wide, bounded by yellow buoys three metres apart, cones on the right and cylinders on the left seen from the beach; nothing before sunrise or after sunset; nothing further than one nautical mile offshore and no closer than one nautical mile to ports, marinas and fish farms; no riding at beaches classed as popular and heavily frequented; and no riding when the wind is pushing you toward open sea unless a lifeguard or authorised person with a powerboat is on hand. That last clause rules out the prevailing offshore Meltemi at this launch.

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

Rider tips

Do not launch in the standard NE/NNE Meltemi. Here it is offshore, toward Turkey.
Rig on the grass strips behind the pebbles rather than on the stones.
Stay off the organized middle of the beach in July, August and September while the swimmers are in.
Get a local rider to confirm the southerly setup and a recovery plan before you go out; no rescue provider is on record at Mykali.
Think hard before riding far into the Mycale Strait: the drift is offshore and the border is close.

Getting there

Airport

Samos Aristarchos International Airport (SMI)

Route

Head from Samos town toward the airport and follow the signs to Psili Ammos; Mykali is just west of it.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Rooms and beach services are reported on or near the spot; the wider bed base is in Psili Ammos, Pythagoreio and Samos town.

No-wind days

Mykali and Psili Ammos beach time, Samos town, Pythagoreio, tavernas, swimming and island sightseeing.

Photos

Psili Ammos with Turkey beyond. - panoramio — Bob&Anne Powell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Mykali Beach suitable for beginners?

The deep water, pebble launch and offshore common wind direction make it unsuitable for beginners.

What is the wind like at Mykali Beach?

The typical Samos Meltemi blows NE to NNE, which is offshore here toward Turkey and considered unsafe; only southerly wind is usable for riding.

What are the hazards at Mykali Beach?

Water is deep close to shore, gusty wind shifts are reported, and the pebble beach can damage kites outside the grass rigging areas.

Last updated: August 2026