Map › Greece › Crete - Kouremenos (Sitia) › Tenda Bay

Creta · Sitia peninsula, Lasithi · Lasithi Regional Unit · Sitia

Tenda Bay

also known as Tenda Beach, Paralia Tenta, Τέντα, Paralia Tentas, Παραλία Τέντα

advanced onlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Kouremenos 9 km · Xerokambos 27 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJun to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy18-28synoptic Launchmediumaccess rules on record, below Watersea26°C in summer · 14 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport175 minInternational Airport (HER)

When it fills in

The wind is constant through the day and through the June-September season; no precise daily onset time is on record.

Tenda Bay is a wild spot on the far northeast of the Sitia peninsula, out between Cape Sidero and Itanos, 29 km from Sitia and 15 km from Palekastro. The summer Meltemi reaches this coast straight from the north to northwest, so the Tenda side goes choppy and wavy while the Eligas bay on the east stays flat.

Wind is 18-28 knots and it blows from June to September. There is nothing here: no school, no rental, no drinking water and no shade. Most of the shoreline is rock, and the practical launch is the small sandy beach at the southern end.

Submerged rocks, a possible coastal current and a dirt track for the last stretch put this out of reach for beginners and for anyone riding alone. Come for the bump-and-jump and the waves on the days Kouremenos is full.

The wind

locals call it Meltemi

Direction

onshoreNW

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: The wind is constant through the day and through the June-September season; no precise daily onset time is on record.

Typical strength

18-28

Generally strong and consistent in summer, with possible gusts from surrounding terrain.

Exposed straight to the summer north Meltemi and blowing hard from June to September, with windsurfers usually out. More directly exposed than east-facing Kouremenos.

The quiver, in words

Nobody publishes sizes for this bay. In the 18-28 knot Meltemi a 75-85 kg rider is on 7-9 m most days, drops to 6 m when it sits at the top of the range, and only reaches for 10-12 m early in June or late in September. Indicative, worked back from the wind range rather than from measured sessions here.

Direction to shore

onshore to side-onshore on the Tenda Bay side

Dominant direction

NW, NNW, N

Forecast

Month by month

Jan89
Feb80
Mar90
Apr86
May88
Jun, riders' month93
Jul, riders' month99
Aug, riders' month95
Sep, riders' month88
Oct84
Nov84
Dec83

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

19Jan18°
18Feb17°
18Mar17°
18Apr18°
17May19°
19Jun24°
22Jul26°
19Aug27°
18Sep26°
18Oct24°
17Nov22°
16Dec19°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	89%	18.6 kt	NW	14.7°C	18.2°C
Feb	80%	18.1 kt	NNW	14.2°C	17.1°C
Mar	90%	18.4 kt	NW	14.6°C	17.2°C
Apr	86%	17.6 kt	WNW	17.1°C	18°C
May	88%	17.1 kt	WNW	19.1°C	19.2°C
Jun	93%	18.5 kt	WNW	23.5°C	23.6°C
Jul	99%	21.6 kt	WNW	25.8°C	26.2°C
Aug	95%	18.5 kt	WNW	26.3°C	27.1°C
Sep	88%	17.7 kt	WNW	25°C	26°C
Oct	84%	17.6 kt	NW	22°C	24°C
Nov	84%	16.7 kt	NW	19.3°C	21.6°C
Dec	83%	16.3 kt	NW	17°C	19.2°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

Variable depth with some shallow areas possible; no measured standing-depth zone is published.

Tides

Tide effect not documented in the spot sources.

Temperature

26°C summer · 16°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorts or a sun lycra in summer, a full wetsuit in winter. Derived from Sitia-area sea temperatures and Crete/Kouremenos practice, not from any Tenda-specific note.

Currents

Moderate coastal current possible.

17–27°C water

The west-facing Tenda Bay side turns choppy with waves once the Meltemi comes in onshore. Rocky coast with small sandy coves, pebbles and sand, and a rocky seabed in places. The western Tentas bay is usually wavy during the Meltemi while the eastern Eligas bay is usually flat, over rock and sand at variable depth.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate at minimum, and really a spot for riders who look after themselves. Onshore wind, rocks, current, rough access and no school on site rule out beginners.

The scene

What riders come here for

bump and jumpwavesfreeridequiet sessions

Remote, wild and usually quiet; it is rarely crowded, an unorganized natural area rather than a resort beach.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Kouremenos, 9 km

Kouremenos Xerokambos

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

Rescue

No lifeguard, no school, no safety boat, nobody watching. The coastguard emergency line is 108 and 112 reaches the same dispatch from any phone, but help means a boat or a vehicle out of Sitia, 30 km and roughly 50 minutes of road away. Your buddy is the rescue.

Do not ride alone.

Launch

Coarse sand and pebble wild beach; the practical launch is the small sandy beach at the southern end because much of the shoreline is rocky.

Space

medium

Hazards riders report 14

submerged rocks
coastal current
isolation
rough access
no supervision
no supplies
Submerged rocks in parts of the bay
Rocky shoreline outside the small sandy launch
Moderate coastal current possible
Onshore Meltemi and choppy/wavy water
Possible gusts from surrounding terrain
Isolated wild spot with rough dirt-track access
No drinking water, supplies, school or rental on site
Greek national kitesurf rules restrict riding near swimmers, shore zones, obstacles, ports and offshore/strong-wind conditions without rescue support

Rules & access

2026: no Tenda-specific municipal or port-authority kite zone was found. The Greece-wide rules prohibit kitesurfing at heavily frequented beaches, before sunrise or after sunset, within 200 m of swimmers or marine obstacles, within 200 m of the shoreline except beyond the swimmer-limit buoys, beyond 1 nautical mile offshore, and in offshore or greater-than-6-Beaufort wind without lifeguard and power-vessel support.

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

Rider tips

Launch from the small sandy beach at the southern end; the rest of the shoreline is rock.
Do not sail alone. There is no supervision here and no rescue anywhere near.
Bring water and food, plus shade and a repair kit; the nearest cafe is at Vai, 7 km away.
Check the Eligas side as well: the western Tentas bay is wavy in the Meltemi while the eastern bay is usually flat.
Take a car with ground clearance, because the last access to the beach is dirt track.
Keep the national distances: 200 m off swimmers and obstacles, and nothing above 6 Beaufort without rescue support.
Put 108 and 112 in your phone before you drive out. Either one starts a response from Sitia, about 50 minutes of road away.

Getting there

Airport

Heraklion International Airport (HER); Sitia Public Airport (JSH) is much closer but has limited service.

Route

29 km from Sitia, 15 km from Palekastro, 7 km from Vai, and about 149 km of road from Heraklion. Road routing gives roughly 2 h 55 min from Heraklion airport and about 50 minutes from Sitia. The last stretch off the main road is dirt track, so bring ground clearance; parking is on the roadside.

Transfer

175 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Nothing at the spot. The closest beds are in Palekastro and the nearest restaurant or cafe is at Vai, 7 km away.

No-wind days

Vai palm beach, Ancient Itanos, Palekastro, fishing, scuba diving and hiking in the wild northeast Sitia peninsula.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Tenda Bay?

The spot is very windy from June to September thanks to the summer Meltemi, which reaches the coast directly here, typically 18-28 knots.

Is Tenda Bay suitable for beginners?

No, the required level is marked intermediate, and the onshore wind, rocks, current and lack of any on-site school make it unsuitable for beginners.

What is the wind like at Tenda Bay?

The Meltemi blows onshore to side-onshore from the northwest, typically 18-28 knots, generally strong and consistent through summer.

What hazards should riders know about at Tenda Bay?

There is no on-site rescue or supervision, submerged rocks lie in parts of the bay, and there are no supplies, so riders are advised not to sail alone.

How do you get to Tenda Bay?

The spot is reached by a dirt track off the main road, about 29 km from Sitia and 15 km from Palekastro, with good ground clearance recommended.

Last updated: August 2026