The report · Kouremenos · Kite · January · 6 pages

WindChaserSpot report

Crete, Greece

Kouremenos

KiteJanuary

52% of January days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.

January sits outside the best months here. This report carries the record for January as it is, and no direction or session norm, because there is none to quote. Section 02 shows the year-by-year spread; section 06 shows which months to come instead.

01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month windrecord only02The month's own records03Stays, the centre & kit04Launches & tide notesno data05Windsurf, kite & Blue Flag rules06Getting there, packing & best months07Sources, and their limits
Guide
Compiled by WindChaser
25 Sep 2026Record
2022 to 2026, hourly
Open-Meteo, DWD ICON-EU 7 kmNormals
2022 to 2026
Four Januaries
Kouremenos · Kite · January · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record1 of 6
01

Hour-by-hour & month-by-month wind

Rideable-day share by month, all three sports

Share of days with three or more daylight hours over each sport's threshold, counted from the record at 12 kt, Windsurf 13 kt and Wing 12 kt.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecKite525957605775857576474740Windsurf485752495270817167414138Wing525957605775857576474740

Blue fill scales with the share. Selected month outlined. Threshold per row: Kite 12 kt · Windsurf 13 kt · Wing 12 kt.

Where the wind sits, January

Share of daylight hours in each speed band, blue above the threshold.

4–7
8–11
12–15
16–19
20–23
24–27
28–31

Not drawn: 22% of daylight hours under 4 kt.

When in the day, January

Share of days over 12 kt at each daylight hour.

8am
9
10
11
12pm
1pm
2
3
4
5
6pm

Rideable hours, not all hours. Every wind figure in this report is the mean over hours above the threshold.

Kouremenos · Kite · January · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record2 of 6
02

January's own records

The month's own figures from four Januaries in the record, 2022 to 2026. Not the year's average.

Rideable days16 of 31Four Januaries in the record
Wind, rideable hours17 ktMean over daylight hours at 12 kt+
Air14.8°CMaximum
Hours over 12 kt5.2 a dayDaylight, all days averaged
BeforeDecember40%12 rideable days in 31
Your monthJanuary52%16 rideable days in 31
AfterFebruary59%17 rideable days in 28

What the percentage hides. A month at 80% can be twenty-four steady days or three windy weeks broken by a dead front.

Kouremenos · Kite · January · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record3 of 6
03

Stays, the centre & kit

Stays

KouremenosBeach ApartmentsApartments · On the beachSeafront apartments and studios with private parking on Kouremenos beach, about 700 m along the sand from the centres.
Voula’s Casa di MareApartments · 850 m to the centresStudios and apartments in an olive grove about 80 m from Kouremenos beach, with a seasonal pool and free parking.
Sunrise Apartments$··Apartments · 800 m to the centresFour owner-run studios and apartments on the Vai road outside Palekastro, with full kitchens and free parking. Studios from 55 euros a night in 2026.
Castri VillageApartments · 1.5 km to the centresHillside apartment hotel at Vigla above the bay, with a pool, bar and restaurant, used by Sportif for its Palekastro trips.

Lessons

Gone Surfing CreteSchool · Windsurf · WingSmall owner-run centre on the beach. Windsurf, wing foil and wind foil lessons for all levels.
Freak Surf CreteSchool · Windsurf · WingOwner-run windsurf and wing foil centre on the beach since 2004, open May to November, with lessons from beginner up and a motorboat and jet ski for rescue.

Kit

Gone Surfing CreteRental · Windsurf · WingDuotone windsurf kit by the hour, day or week, wing kit by the week, and beach storage for your own.
Freak Surf CreteRental · Windsurf · WingJP and Neil Pryde windsurf rental and wing kit on the beach, with a shower, power and water on site.

Price band $ to $$$ only where sourced; none shown means none held. Contact details and brands stocked join this table when the operator directory is connected.

04

Launches & tide notes

Kouremenos beach, in front of the centres
Low—Mid—High—

The sources give no tide detail for this launch. Which state suits which level is unknown until tide data arrives.

Downwind of the centres, for kites
Low—Mid—High—

No source describes this launch in detail. Tide data is not held.

Tide data not yet available for this spot. The record holds wind, air and waves, not tide. Until a tide source is connected, the tables above stay empty rather than estimated. What the guide says about tide is on the next page, in words.

Kouremenos · Kite · January · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record4 of 6
05

Windsurf, kite & Blue Flag rules

Every hazard on the spot page, repeated here in full. Read this before you get wet.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Windsurf rulesGeneral Port Regulation No. 20 prohibits windsurfing in wind above 7 Beaufort, before sunrise and after sunset, within 200 metres of the point swimmers usually reach where the water is not buoyed, and within 100 metres of the outer swimming buoys. Windsurfers must wear a personal buoyancy aid and take care not to disturb swimmers when launching and landing.
Kitesurf rulesThe kitesurfing decision requires a helmet, harness, line knife, quick release, leash and buoyancy jacket, and a wetsuit from 15 October to 15 May. Launch only with no people or obstacles within 100 metres. Kiting is prohibited on beaches classed as crowded, before sunrise and after sunset, within 200 metres of the point swimmers usually reach where the water is not buoyed, within 200 metres of anchored ships, rocks, reefs and moving boats, within 100 metres of the outer swimming buoys, more than one nautical mile offshore, and when the wind blows towards open sea with no motorboat cover. The riding area must be at least one nautical mile from the entrances of harbours, marinas and fishing shelters, unless the port committee reduces that to no less than 500 metres. As amended by General Port Regulation No. 20, kiting is prohibited in wind above 7 Beaufort or 61 km/h, and whenever visibility is limited or there is a risk of lightning.
Blue Flag zonesKouremenos is on the 2026 Blue Flag list. The Blue Flag criteria require the different uses of the beach to be managed, for example with zones for swimmers, water sports and boats, and lifeguards, where present, to enforce the zones. Read the beach information and keep out of the swimming area.
Protected areaThe launch lies inside two Natura 2000 sites, GR4320006 and GR4320009, and the bay offshore inside GR4320006. No rule on windsurfing, wing foiling or kitesurfing in these sites could be found. Ask the centre whether any local restriction applies.
Offshore component and gustsThe meltemi is side-shore from the left with an offshore component, and the local thermal and funnelling make it stronger here than in the surrounding area. The bay is enclosed, but change down early and do not ride out beyond where you can get back.
Rocks and the harbour at TentaThe north end, Tenta, has a rocky shore with entry to the sea only from a cement dock, and the local harbour is nearby. In front of the centres, buoys mark the sea entrance. Keep clear of the harbour, and take care around powerboats and jet skis.
Rocks and the harbour at Tenta

The beach in front of the centres is sand and fine pebble, shallow near the shore, with buoys marking the sea entrance. The north end, Tenta, has a rocky shore with entry to the sea only from a cement dock, and the local harbour is nearby. The kitesurfing decision keeps the riding area at least one nautical mile from the entrances of harbours, marinas and fishing shelters unless the port committee reduces it, to no less than 500 m. Ask the local port authority whether the Tenta harbour counts.

Offshore component and gusts

The meltemi is side-shore from the left with an offshore component, strengthened by the local thermal and funnelling. The bay is enclosed. Kitesurfing is prohibited when the wind blows towards open sea with no motorboat cover for picking up the rider.

06

Getting there, packing & best months

Nearest airportSitia (JSH)About 15 minutes by car. Heraklion (HER) is 147 km, about two hours, from Sitia.
SeasonJune to OctoberThe record's NW meltemi months, July and August the windiest. May is the softest month in the record.
Getting aroundCar or busLocal bus from Sitia to Palekastro, about 20 minutes. The beach is about 1.5 km from the village.
What to pack
BeachSand and pebble. Fine sand and pebbles, pebblier at the south end. Rocky at Tenta, the north end.WaterFlat inside. Flat and shallow near the beach, small chop further out.Sea16 to 26°C. Boardshorts or a shorty in July and August, a wetsuit either side.ShadeTamarisks. Tamarisk trees behind the sand, and showers on parts of the beach.KitRent or bring. Windsurf and wing kit to rent on the beach, and storage for your own.
Kite sizes for January

January has no session mean to size from, so no sizes are given.

JFMAMJJASOND

Best months, Kite. Record.

Kouremenos · Kite · January · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2022 to 2026 record5 of 6
07

Sources, and their limits

Where each section of this report comes from. Record is measured. Modelled is computed by a formula because no measurement exists yet; it looks like data and is not. Written is WindChaser's editorial copy, compiled from the sources below.

§WhatSourceLimit
01Kite month sharesRecordCounted at 12 kt for three daylight hours from icon_eu at 7 km, cell 2.8 km from the spot, no correction.
01Windsurf and Wing month sharesRecordCounted at 13 kt (Windsurf) and 12 kt (Wing) from the same series, by the same rule as the Kite share. No longer the Kite share raised to a curve (WC-024 phase 4).
01Speed bands, hour-of-day sharesRecordCounted from the same hourly series as the shares: daylight hours in each 4 kt band, and the share of days over the threshold at each hour from 8am to 6pm. The same charts as the spot page.
01Direction, strength, when it blowsWrittenFrom centre and guide pages, cross-checked against the record (NW June to October) and the Sitia Airport station (WNW). Guides disagree between side-shore and cross-offshore.
02The month's recordsRecordMonth detail. DWD ICON-EU at 7 km, the cell 2.8 km from the spot; the funnelling at the bay is not resolved.
03Stays, the centres and kitWrittenChecked on each business’s own website or a named rider source, most recently on 27 September 2026. Price bands only where a price is published.
04Tide windowsMissingNo tide source in the pipeline. The section renders its empty state.
05Hazards and rulesWrittenRules from General Port Regulation No. 20 (unofficial consolidation, June 2025) and Ministerial Decision 2133.3/62620/2020 (republished text), both national. Blue Flag 2026 list and criteria. Physical hazards from guides.
06Airports, access, packing, kite sizesWrittenSea temperature from a modelled sea temperature site, not the record. Sizes derived from the season range.
06Local rulesMissingNo Sitia port regulation, no Natura 2000 rule for water sports and no wing foil rule could be read.

The record

Hourly wind, 2022 to 2026, from DWD ICON-EU via Open-Meteo: a 7 km grid, read at the cell 2.8 km from the spot. It knows the wind over the cell, not the gust on the sand in front of you, and it knows the bearing, not the coastline: "side-onshore" is a rider's reading of the bearing. Each month is counted over three to four years.

What we could not source for Kouremenos

A local port regulation for this beach. The Coast Guard's own kitesurf page, which refused access, so a change after June 2025 cannot be ruled out. Any Natura 2000 management rule on water sports. A rule for wing foiling. A kite school or a second source for the kite launch. Whether the Tenta harbour triggers the kite harbour distance. Tide tables. Windsurf and wing thresholds run through the hourly record. Where any of these is missing above, the section says so rather than filling itself.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Compiled by WindChaser, 25 Sep 2026. Hero photograph on the spot page by Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0. Report generated 22 Oct 2026 from record version 2026.10; a report and its spot page are rendered from the same data and cannot disagree.

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