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Dodecaneso · Kos · Kos Regional Unit · Tigaki

Tigaki West Beach

also known as Tigaki, Tingaki, Alykes, Alykes Marmari, Kos Tigaki

beginner-friendlyhigh 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 Mastichari 6 km · Akyarlar 10 km · Fener (Turgutreis, Bodrum) 11 km · Marmari (Kos) 11 km · Psalidi 14 km · Kefalos 24 km · Kohilari 27 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJun to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy12-22 ktsynoptic Launchmediumaccess rules on record, below Wateropen sea24.4°C in summer · 10 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools5named at this spot From the airportin words under Getting thereKos International Airport (KGS)

When it fills in

The Meltemi is strongest through the afternoon and often drops away at night, although a settled spell can hold it round the clock for days without a break. Plan on an afternoon session; the hours after sunrise are the most likely to be light. The exact hour it fills in at Tigaki is not confirmed by any local station.

Tigaki West Beach sits on the north coast of Kos, west of Kos Town, and the Meltemi arrives from the NW, running diagonally onto the sand. Entry is gradual off a sandy bottom, and depth at the kite spot is given as 1-2 m.

Pserimos takes the size out of anything bigger, so the water is mostly flat with long waves up to about 1 m; go about 1 km west of the station and there is more wave to play with.

June to September is the main Aegean season and August is the windiest month, though the high-wind window is sometimes narrowed to June-August and sometimes stretched to June-October. Kites of 7-12 m cover it.

The thing nobody spells out is that Tigaki and Alykes get used as if they were one place: the salt-lake sector at Alykes is the stronger and more consistent end, better suited to intermediate and advanced riders, while the west beach in front of the station is the gentler one.

Wind strength is the honest gap in this record, with light days under 10 knots reported and Meltemi afternoons up to 8 Bft also reported, so look at the water before you pick a kite. From June to August the beach is shared: trees and concrete on the sand, swimmers and rocks in the water, so ride early.

The wind

locals call it Meltemi

Direction

cross-onNW / northerly Meltemi

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: The Meltemi is strongest through the afternoon and often drops away at night, although a settled spell can hold it round the clock for days without a break. Plan on an afternoon session; the hours after sunrise are the most likely to be light. The exact hour it fills in at Tigaki is not confirmed by any local station.

Typical strength

12-22 kt is the working range on a Meltemi day, with gusts well above that when the flow squeezes between the islands; non-Meltemi days sit under 10 kt and are common outside high summer. The long-run station on the same coast about 13 km west averages roughly 10 kt with mean gusts near 25 kt across 2000-2026, but that is an all-year mean diluted by the calm winter rather than a summer expectation. No measurement exists for this beach.

Steady side-shore to side-onshore Meltemi along the Kos north coast; Alykes is the strong, consistent end of it.

June-September is the main Aegean wind and kite period and August is the windiest month; the high-wind window at Tigaki is sometimes given as June-August, sometimes as June-October.

Thermal or synoptic

Meltemi

The quiver, in words

7-12 m.

Direction to shore

side-onshore / diagonally toward the beach

Forecast

Month by month

Jan73
Feb71
Mar67
Apr66
May49
Jun, riders' month68
Jul, riders' month85
Aug, riders' month44
Sep, riders' month63
Oct46
Nov60
Dec58

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

14Jan19°
14Feb18°
14Mar17°
13Apr18°
12May20°
13Jun23°
15Jul24°
12Aug26°
13Sep25°
12Oct24°
13Nov22°
12Dec20°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	73%	14.3 kt	NNW	13.1°C	19°C
Feb	71%	14.1 kt	NNW	13°C	17.6°C
Mar	67%	13.6 kt	NNW	13.8°C	17.4°C
Apr	66%	13 kt	NW	17.4°C	18.2°C
May	49%	11.6 kt	NW	20.2°C	19.8°C
Jun	68%	12.9 kt	NW	25.4°C	23.1°C
Jul	85%	15.4 kt	NNW	28.1°C	24.2°C
Aug	44%	11.7 kt	NW	27.4°C	25.9°C
Sep	63%	12.5 kt	NW	25.5°C	25.4°C
Oct	46%	11.5 kt	NNW	21.9°C	23.9°C
Nov	60%	12.5 kt	NNW	18.4°C	22.2°C
Dec	58%	12.2 kt	N	15.8°C	20.1°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

open sea

Standing depth

Gradual entry off the sand at Tigaki West Beach; 1-2 m is the depth given for the Tigaki kite spot.

Tides

No tide window to plan around. The range here is a few tens of centimetres, roughly 0.15 to 0.35 m between high and low water, so depth at the launch and over the sand is effectively the same all day. Wind-driven set-up and swell change the water more than the tide table does.

Temperature

24.4°C summer · 18.2°C winter

Wetsuit

usually boardshorts or shorty in high summer; light wetsuit may be useful outside summer

Currents

Low current is reported along the Kos north coast; nothing measured for this beach.

17–26°C water

Sandy beach with a gradual entry at Tigaki West Beach. Mostly flat with long waves up to about 1 m, with Pserimos blocking the bigger swell; about 1 km west of the station there is more wave action. Small to medium waves and chop are also reported.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The Tigaki kite spot itself rates intermediate. Alykes in stronger Meltemi is intermediate and advanced. Beginners only with a school.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideprogressionsmall wavesbump and jumplessons

organized Kos north-coast resort beach with wind/kite centers, lessons and a mix of swimmers and riders

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Mastichari, 6 km

Mastichari Akyarlar Fener (Turgutreis, Bodrum)

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

Rescue

The station has motor boats and a rescue system.

Launch

Sandy west-beach launch at Tigaki/Alykes on the north side of Kos, near the salt lake and local windsurf/kite operators.

Space

medium

Rules & access

2026: no municipality kite-zone order for Tigaki or Alykes has been found, and the north-coast strip is treated as open to windsurfing and kitesurfing along its length. What constrains you in practice is the bathing beach from June to August: stay clear of the swimming area in front of the hotels and of the roped training zones, and launch from the sand at the centres rather than between the loungers. The stations run separate kite and windsurf zones and keep beginners inside them, while experienced riders use the deeper water outside. Whether a port authority regulation sets a specific distance from bathers at this beach is unconfirmed.

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

Rider tips

Work out which sector you are on before you rig: Tigaki West Beach in front of the station, or the stronger Alykes/Marmari water along the coast.
Give the swimmers and the beach trees a wide margin from June to August.
Size down on a strong Meltemi day and ask the station about rescue cover before riding far out; they keep motor boats.
Beginners stay in the school zone, not on the open water at Alykes.
Fly into KGS and take a taxi; Tigaki is about 20-24 minutes away.

Getting there

Airport

Kos International Airport (KGS)

Route

Tigaki is on the north side of Kos, west of Kos Town and close to Marmari/Alykes. Transfers from Kos Airport to Tigaki are short by taxi or shuttle, while buses may require routing via Kos town.

Transfer

about 20-24 minutes by taxi from Kos Airport to Tigaki

Cost level

medium

Staying

Hotels and apartments are available in Tigaki, Marmari and nearby north-coast resorts; surf-travel operators also package stays near Marmari and Mastichari centers.

No-wind days

Alykes salt lake, Kos Town, Asklepieion, cycling on the flat island, beaches, tavernas, SUP, canoe and island sightseeing.

Photos

Holidays Greece - panoramio (494) — Roton Piotr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Tigaki West Beach?

The main Aegean season runs June to September, with August generally the windiest month.

Is Tigaki West Beach suitable for beginners?

Kos municipal tourism and Tigaki Windsurfing describe the area as suitable for all levels, though the nearby Alykes sector is stronger and aimed more at intermediate and advanced riders.

What is the wind like at Tigaki West Beach?

The Meltemi blows from the northwest, side-onshore or diagonally toward the beach, with sources disagreeing on whether it is usually light or stronger and accelerated.

Are there kite schools at Tigaki West Beach?

Tigaki Windsurfing, Horizon Kitesurfing Alykes, Fun2Fun Marmari and Kitesurfing Kos/Golden Beach Marmari operate in the area, and Tigaki Windsurfing reports motor-boat rescue.

Last updated: August 2026