Sea · Region of Crete · Greece

Elafonisi

Name: Elafonisi
Address: GRC

Best for kiting from June to September and from December to March, with 50 to 71 % kite days. Water 17 to 27 °C.

A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 knots (gusts up to 45) between 10:00 and 19:00, in daylight. Percentages are the share of such days in each month, counted over 9 years.

JJan56Good
FFeb57Good
MMar56Good
AApr48Good
MMay43Good
JJun54Good
JJul71Prime
AAug64Prime
SSep54Good
OOct38Possiblenow
NNov45Good
DDec50Good

Prime 60 % and more
Good 40 to 59 %
Possible 20 to 39 %
Off under 20 %
No data hatched
Ringed: this month

Prime also needs a good month in at least 7 of the 9 years, so one freak year cannot make a month Prime. A month with 60 %+ but fewer good years shows as Good.

Confidence highClose model cell, both models agree on the season, 9 full years.

See the best months Live forecast Show on map

Month by month

MonthKite days% of days, verdict10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite daysWater°C, what to wear

Kite days
38 % Possibleabout 12 of 31 days
Too light, kiteable, too strong
Too light 62 %
Kiteable 38 %
Too strong 0 %
Good years
0 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
10 day trip
3 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 3.5 expected
Best hours
10:00 to 18:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
Daylight
11.3 h
Water
24 °C, spring suit
Air
23 °Cdaily maximum, 22 °C during kite hours
Rain
5 of 31with 1 mm or more
In one sentence
In October, Elafonisi averaged 12 kite days out of 31 (38 %). Water 24 °C, spring suit. 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.

Elafonisi

Kite days% of days	56	57	56	48	43	54	71	64	54	38	45	50
Verdictshare plus good years	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Good	Possible	Good	Good
10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days	7 in 10	7 in 10	8 in 10	6 in 10	4 in 10	7 in 10	9 in 10	8 in 10	6 in 10	3 in 10	6 in 10	5 in 10
Good yearsof 9, reached 50 %	7 of 9	7 of 9	7 of 9	3 of 9	3 of 9	5 of 9	9 of 9	8 of 9	5 of 9	0 of 9	3 of 9	4 of 9
Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn	10 to 17	10 to 17	10 to 18	10 to 19	11 to 18	13 to 18	12 to 18	12 to 18	13 to 17	10 to 18	10 to 16	10 to 16
Daylighth	10.1	10.9	12.0	13.1	14.0	14.5	14.3	13.5	12.4	11.3	10.4	9.8
Water°C at the surface	18	17	17	18	19	23	26	27	26	24	22	20
Air°C, daily maximum	14	14	15	17	21	25	28	28	26	23	20	16
Rain days1 mm or more	15 of 31	9 of 28	8 of 31	5 of 30	2 of 31	1 of 30	0 of 31	0 of 31	2 of 30	5 of 31	11 of 30	13 of 31
Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves	4/3	5/4	5/4	4/3	3/2	spring	shorty	shorts	shorty	spring	3/2	4/3

In January, Elafonisi averaged 17 kite days out of 31 (56 %). Water 18 °C, 4/3. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
In February, Elafonisi averaged 16 kite days out of 28 (57 %). Water 17 °C, 5/4. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
In March, Elafonisi averaged 17 kite days out of 31 (56 %). Water 17 °C, 5/4. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
In April, Elafonisi averaged 14 kite days out of 30 (48 %). Water 18 °C, 4/3. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
In May, Elafonisi averaged 13 kite days out of 31 (43 %). Water 19 °C, 3/2. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
In June, Elafonisi averaged 16 kite days out of 30 (54 %). Water 23 °C, spring suit. 7 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
In July, Elafonisi averaged 22 kite days out of 31 (71 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 9 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
In August, Elafonisi averaged 20 kite days out of 31 (64 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
In September, Elafonisi averaged 16 kite days out of 30 (54 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
In October, Elafonisi averaged 12 kite days out of 31 (38 %). Water 24 °C, spring suit. 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
In November, Elafonisi averaged 13 kite days out of 30 (45 %). Water 22 °C, 3/2. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
In December, Elafonisi averaged 15 kite days out of 31 (50 %). Water 20 °C, 4/3. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in December got at least 5 kite days.

Good year: at least half the days of that month were kite days. x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise. Best hours: the hours from 10:00 on when the wind most often reaches 12 to 35 knots. Rain day: 1 mm or more of rain.

Source: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly model wind, 2017 to 2025; water temperature 2023 to 2025. How we count kite days and trip odds

Trip odds at Elafonisi

How often a trip of your length got at least half its days with kite wind, 2017 to 2025, capped at 9 in 10.

January7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.7 expected
February7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.5 expected
March8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.7 expected
April6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.9 expected
May4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.1 expected
June7 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.7 expected
July9 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 7.1 expected
August8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.5 expected
September6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.1 expected
October (now)3 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.5 expected
November6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.8 expected
December5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.8 expected

x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise.

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Trip odds by start week

Pick your start week and trip length. Each cell: of all trips of that length that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, how many in 10 got at least half their days with kite wind.

Trip odds by start week, 10 day trips, 2017 to 2025

Colours as in the kite year: 6 in 10 and more like Prime · 4 to 5 in 10 like Good · 2 to 3 in 10 like Possible · under 2 in 10 like Off · No data hatched (fewer than 30 trips) · Ringed: this week · Raised: your start week

x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise.

Source: hourly wind from the ECMWF IFS model via Open-Meteo, 2017 to 2025, kiteCOMPASS method v1. How we count

Start date

4 in 10

trips of 10 days starting in week 45 (e.g. 5 to 11 November) got at least 5 kite days in 2017 to 2025 (63 trips).

Zero wind trips: fewer than 1 in 20

about 4.1 kite days expected out of 10

Kite days per trip, 63 trips

Bars right of the line are good trips (5 kite days or more).

How the wind behaves

In July, the windiest month

Too light 29 %
Kiteable 71 %
Too strong 0 %

Too light on 29 %, kiteable on 71 %, too strong on 0 % of days.

Best hours: 12:00 to 18:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.

Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors

Wind steadily from N (0°).

Kitesurfing at Elafonisi: quick answers

When is the best time to kitesurf at Elafonisi?

The best months are June to September and December to March: from 2017 to 2025, 50 to 71 % of days in those months were kite days.

Is Elafonisi windy in October?

Sometimes. 38 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 12 days in a typical October. 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.

What is the water temperature at Elafonisi?

The water ranges from 17 °C in February to 27 °C in August. In October it is about 24 °C (wetsuit: spring suit).

How many kite days does Elafonisi get in a year?

About 193 days a year were kite days from 2017 to 2025, out of 365. A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn.

Live forecast

The numbers above are long term averages. The forecast shows the next days.

Live forecast from Windy

The forecast map for Elafonisi comes from windy.com (Windyty SE, Prague, Czech Republic) and opens right here on this page. Once you load it, your browser contacts Windy, which receives your IP address and may set its own cookies. Nothing is loaded before you click.

Spot facts

Region: Region of Crete
Country: Greece
Water body: Sea, from Natural Earth map data
Nearest airport: Chania International Airport (CHQ), 62 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
Time zone: UTC+03:00 in October
Coordinates: 35.2715, 23.5416
Model: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly

Conditions, checked against kite guides

Water state, flat areas, waves and whether schools teach here, from kite sources, not from satellite images.

Not yet checked against kite guides. We research spot conditions one by one and show only what a kite source says.

Nearby kite spots in Region of Crete

Kite days in October, % of days

Paleochora
Greece · 3 points fewer kite days than Elafonisi in October
35 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Paleochora: Jan 55 %, Feb 59 %, Mar 63 %, Apr 56 %, May 52 %, Jun 47 %, Jul 44 %, Aug 43 %, Sep 46 %, Oct 35 %, Nov 38 %, Dec 48 %
Kasteli
Greece · 25 points more kite days than Elafonisi in October
63 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Kasteli: Jan 76 %, Feb 69 %, Mar 66 %, Apr 61 %, May 47 %, Jun 39 %, Jul 52 %, Aug 53 %, Sep 53 %, Oct 63 %, Nov 70 %, Dec 72 %
Agia Marina
Greece · 13 points fewer kite days than Elafonisi in October
25 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Agia Marina: Jan 43 %, Feb 43 %, Mar 44 %, Apr 37 %, May 29 %, Jun 20 %, Jul 15 %, Aug 12 %, Sep 24 %, Oct 25 %, Nov 27 %, Dec 31 %
Georgioupoli
Greece · 30 points fewer kite days than Elafonisi in October
8 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Georgioupoli: Jan 25 %, Feb 30 %, Mar 30 %, Apr 23 %, May 17 %, Jun 11 %, Jul 14 %, Aug 14 %, Sep 13 %, Oct 8 %, Nov 14 %, Dec 17 %
Plakias
Greece · 5 points fewer kite days than Elafonisi in October
33 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Plakias: Jan 46 %, Feb 43 %, Mar 41 %, Apr 31 %, May 19 %, Jun 29 %, Jul 48 %, Aug 39 %, Sep 33 %, Oct 33 %, Nov 34 %, Dec 33 %
Timbaki
Greece · 35 points fewer kite days than Elafonisi in October
3 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Timbaki: Jan 10 %, Feb 7 %, Mar 13 %, Apr 7 %, May 12 %, Jun 9 %, Jul 8 %, Aug 12 %, Sep 5 %, Oct 3 %, Nov 3 %, Dec 7 %
Amoudara
Greece · 15 points fewer kite days than Elafonisi in October
23 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Amoudara: Jan 37 %, Feb 41 %, Mar 43 %, Apr 38 %, May 36 %, Jun 45 %, Jul 65 %, Aug 66 %, Sep 44 %, Oct 23 %, Nov 20 %, Dec 26 %
Gra Lygia
Greece · 20 points fewer kite days than Elafonisi in October
18 %
1. J
2. F
3. M
4. A
5. M
6. J
7. J
8. A
9. S
10. O
11. N
12. D
Kite days by month at Gra Lygia: Jan 44 %, Feb 35 %, Mar 33 %, Apr 21 %, May 10 %, Jun 9 %, Jul 13 %, Aug 7 %, Sep 14 %, Oct 18 %, Nov 27 %, Dec 30 %

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kiteCOMPASS · method k3h-10to19-v1 · 2017 to 2025

Model wind: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025. Water temperature: 2023 to 2025. Kite day: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn. Confidence: high.

Cite this

In October, 38 % of days at Elafonisi met the kiteCOMPASS kite day rule: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn (ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025). https://kitecompass.app/spot/elafonisi

Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.