Map › Malta › Mellieħa, northern Malta › White Tower Bay

Marfa Peninsula · Mellieha

White Tower Bay

also known as Torri l-Abjad, It-Torri l-Abjad, Ir-Ramla tat-Torri, White Tower Beach

advanced onlyonshorelow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Armier Bay 2 km · Mellieħa Bay 4 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25 ktsynoptic, onshore Launchtightaccess rules on record, below Watermixed27.2°C in summer · 12 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section

Schoolsnone named here

From the airportin words under Getting thereMalta International Airport (MLA / Luqa)

On the clock

11:00 · 12:00

Two different clocks. From October to April the wind that works here arrives with a front and can hold for days, so there is no hour to aim for; you read the system, not the sunrise. From May to September a sea breeze builds from around 11:00 or 12:00 to a 15-20 kt peak in the early afternoon and dies in the evening. That summer pattern is the Malta-wide one rather than a measurement at this bay, and in those months the beach restrictions matter more than the timing does.

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.

White Tower Bay is a small north-coast Malta beach under the White Tower on the Marfa/Ahrax peninsula, looking out at Comino and Gozo. It works for kite, wingfoil and windsurf, above all in north and northeast wind.

It is more exposed than Mellieha Bay, so the same winter front gives you more chop and a session that suits intermediate and advanced riders rather than anyone still learning. The beach is small: sand, rocks along the sides, a lido and kiosk, limited parking, and not much room to lay out lines.

Malta's useful kite season is October to May, since summer brings swimmers, weaker wind and beach restrictions. The 2026 problem is bigger than the beach.

Transport Malta lists Ir-Ramla tat-Torri, the local name for this bay, as a restricted navigational area where craft and objects may not enter until further notice, so check the current buoy layout and what is actually enforced before you rig.

The wind

locals call it Tramontana / Gregale

Direction

onshoreN to NE for this spot

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: Two different clocks. From October to April the wind that works here arrives with a front and can hold for days, so there is no hour to aim for; you read the system, not the sunrise. From May to September a sea breeze builds from around 11:00 or 12:00 to a 15-20 kt peak in the early afternoon and dies in the evening. That summer pattern is the Malta-wide one rather than a measurement at this bay, and in those months the beach restrictions matter more than the timing does.

Typical strength

15-25 kt on Tramontana events; 20-35+ kt possible on stronger Gregale events in Malta.

Exposed winter-frontal wind. It can be solid when north and northeast systems line up, but the water gets choppy and a stronger Gregale is no place for a beginner.

Malta's main kite season falls outside the summer bathing period, and for this coast that means October-May. Summer brings bathers, weaker and less reliable kite wind, and beach restrictions.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic (winter cold-front NW-N winds typical of the Maltese kite season)

The quiver, in words

For a 70-85 kg rider, roughly 9-12 m for 15-20 kt and 6-9 m for 21-30 kt; 14 m, 11 m and 7 m is a practical Malta quiver.

Dominant direction

N to NE for this spot; NW is common regionally in Malta winter forecasts.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month72
Feb, riders' month62
Mar, riders' month81
Apr, riders' month70
May, riders' month66
Jun39
Jul28
Aug27
Sep44
Oct, riders' month35
Nov, riders' month61
Dec, riders' month69

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec.

15Jan17°
14Feb16°
15Mar16°
16Apr17°
14May19°
11Jun23°
10Jul27°
10Aug28°
11Sep27°
10Oct25°
14Nov23°
14Dec19°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	72%	14.7 kt	NW	13.9°C	17.4°C
Feb	62%	14.4 kt	WNW	13.9°C	16.2°C
Mar	81%	15.1 kt	WNW	14.8°C	16.2°C
Apr	70%	15.5 kt	WNW	16.5°C	17°C
May	66%	13.5 kt	WNW	19.9°C	18.9°C
Jun	39%	10.9 kt	NW	24.7°C	23.4°C
Jul	28%	9.8 kt	WNW	28°C	27.1°C
Aug	27%	10.1 kt	NW	27.9°C	27.7°C
Sep	44%	11.2 kt	NW	25.8°C	26.8°C
Oct	35%	10.1 kt	NW	23.3°C	25°C
Nov	61%	13.6 kt	WNW	19.8°C	22.7°C
Dec	69%	14.1 kt	NW	16.6°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

mixed

Standing depth

Shallow, gently shelving water close to shore is reported for bathing; the exact kiteable standing-depth area is unconfirmed.

Tides

Small Mediterranean tide range; the nearby Mellieha tables for 27 August 2026 give about 0.4-0.6 m.

Temperature

27.2°C summer · 15.5°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/rash vest or shorty in peak summer; full wetsuit in winter, with Mellieha water around 15-16 C in the coldest months.

Currents

No measured current data found; water cleanliness and the seaweed or litter that piles up reportedly vary with the current.

16–28°C water

Small sandy-and-rocky bay below the White Tower, facing Comino and Gozo. Shallow, clear water in calm weather; more exposed than Mellieha Bay and becomes choppy in stronger wind.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

White Tower Bay is more exposed and choppier than Mellieha Bay, with a small launch, and it suits intermediate riders best once the wind is up. The 2026 restricted-area rule makes local confirmation essential before riding.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridewave ridingbump-and-jumpstrong-wind sessionswingfoilwindsurf

Quiet, local, family and dog-friendly outside peak summer, though the summer beach crowd here is still sizeable.

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: tight

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Armier Bay, 2 km

Armier Bay Mellieħa Bay

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

Rescue

No lifeguard here. The 2026 government beach lifeguard deployment ran from 15 May to 31 October, 09:30 to 18:00, across nine beaches, and this bay is not one of them; Ghadira, or Mellieha Bay, is the nearest that is covered.

The Red Cross runs its own summer stations from 1 June to 30 September at a different short list, again not including this bay, plus roving water-rescue patrols on the north and south coasts.

Rescue at sea falls to the Armed Forces of Malta, who coordinate search and rescue from their operations centre at Luqa with patrol boats, small boats and SAR helicopters, and who have picked a kitesurfer up off this bay before. Treat it as a self-rescue spot: nothing on the sand is coming to get you.

Launch

Narrow sandy beach below the White Tower at the far northern end of the Marfa/Ahrax peninsula, next to boathouses and a small lido and kiosk. The tower ground itself is closed to the public to protect the local flora.

Space

tight

Hazards riders report 12

seaweed and litter buildup (variable with currents)
occasional jellyfish
fishing nets at the mouth of the bay
choppy water once wind builds
2026 Transport Malta restricted navigational area at Ir-Ramla tat-Torri: no vessel, craft or object, mechanically driven or not, may enter the designated area until further notice
Small/tight beach with limited rigging and landing space
Choppy water once the wind strengthens
Swimmers and beachgoers in the summer season
Seaweed, litter and occasional smell depending on currents
Rocks around the sides and tower edge of the bay
Potential conflict with marked swimmer or restricted-zone perimeter buoys and ropes
no lifeguard on this beach in any season; rescue at sea only, from the military

Rules & access

2026: Transport Malta issued Local Notice to Mariners No. 077 of 2026, Restricted Navigational Areas 2026, on 23 April 2026 with no expiry date, and the companion No. 076 of 2026, Zones reserved for swimmers in Malta and Gozo 2026, on the same day, amended by No. 086 of 2026 on 11 May 2026, also with no expiry date. Ir-Ramla tat-Torri, the Maltese name for this bay, is reported among the restricted areas, where no vessel, craft or other object, mechanically driven or not, is to enter until further notice; which of the two notices actually carries it is unconfirmed, because the notice PDFs are not publicly readable. Kitesurfing on Maltese public bathing beaches is also reportedly prohibited during the summer bathing period. Check the buoy layout on the sand and confirm locally before launching.

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

Rider tips

Check the 2026 Transport Malta chart and the buoys on the sand before rigging; the Ir-Ramla tat-Torri restricted area may make a normal session illegal or pointless.
Ride it as an experienced-rider spot, not a teaching beach, unless a local school or club vouches for the day.
Wait for north or northeast: those are the working directions here, and the chop builds as the wind does.
Come outside the peak bathing months if you want beach space and no swimmers to dodge.
Pack small and medium kites for winter fronts; a strong Gregale is rough and easy to be overpowered on.
Plan for self-rescue. There is no lifeguard here in any season, and the nearest covered beach is Ghadira.
In winter the wind sets in with a front and holds for days, so pick your day rather than your hour.

Getting there

Airport

Malta International Airport (MLA / Luqa)

Route

A car or scooter is the practical option. Bus route 49 serves the Armier/Xilep area, with the nearest stops about 1.0-1.1 km from White Tower Bay, but the service is infrequent and the beach sits at the far end of the peninsula.

Transfer

About 45-70 minutes by car from Malta International Airport depending on traffic; published airport-to-Mellieha estimates are around 45-55 minutes and airport-to-Paradise Bay is about 32 minutes in free-flowing traffic.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Base yourself in Mellieha, Armier/Marfa, St Paul's Bay or another north-coast town; no accommodation is listed directly on the beach.

No-wind days

White Tower / Ahrax Tower · Armier Bay and Little Armier beaches · Mellieha Bay · Comino and Gozo ferry trips from Cirkewwa · Snorkeling and swimming in calm weather

Photos

A kitesurfer wading into the turquoise water at Armier/White Tower Bay with the kite airborne and the beach houses of the point behind — Frank Vincentz / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is White Tower Bay suitable for beginners?

No, it is more exposed and choppier than nearby Mellieħa Bay, with a small, tight launch best suited to intermediate and advanced riders once the wind strengthens.

When is the best time to kite at White Tower Bay?

The main season runs October to May, in north to northeast Tramontana and Gregale winds; summer brings bathers and weaker, less reliable wind.

What is the wind like at White Tower Bay?

Tramontana events typically bring 15-25 knots, with stronger Gregale fronts reaching 20-35+ knots; a practical quiver runs roughly 6-12 m depending on rider weight and wind strength.

Are there rules for kiting at White Tower Bay?

As of 2026, Transport Malta lists Ir-Ramla tat-Torri (White Tower Bay) as a restricted navigational area where no vessel or craft may enter until further notice, and Maltese beaches are also reported closed to kiting June-September.

What are the hazards at White Tower Bay?

Hazards include a small, tight beach with limited rigging space, choppy water once the wind builds, seaweed and litter buildup, and rocks around the sides and tower edge of the bay.

Last updated: August 2026