Sea · Region of Crete · Greece

Plaka

Name: Plaka
Address: GRC

Best for kiting from July to August, with 63 to 65 % kite days. Water 26 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.

JJan35Possible
FFeb39Possible
MMar40Good
AApr34Possible
MMay28Possible
JJun42Good
JJul65Prime
AAug63Prime
SSep43Good
OOct27Possiblenow
NNov30Possible
DDec28Possible

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. Shares its model grid cell with 2 nearby spots, so the numbers describe the area, not one beach.

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
27 % Possibleabout 8 of 31 days
Too light, kiteable, too strong
Too light 73 %
Kiteable 27 %
Too strong 0 %
10 day trip
2 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 2.5 expected
Best hours
12:00 to 16:00when 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
3 of 31with 1 mm or more
In one sentence
In October, Plaka averaged 8 kite days out of 31 (27 %). Water 24 °C, spring suit. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.

Plaka

Kite days% of days	35	39	40	34	28	42	65	63	43	27	30	28
Verdictshare plus good years	Possible	Possible	Good	Possible	Possible	Good	Prime	Prime	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible
10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days	4 in 10	3 in 10	4 in 10	3 in 10	1 in 10	5 in 10	8 in 10	8 in 10	4 in 10	2 in 10	2 in 10	1 in 10
Good yearsof 0, reached 50 %	·	·	·	·	·	·	·	·	·	·	·	·
Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn	11 to 16	10 to 17	11 to 17	12 to 17	11 to 15	11 to 17	11 to 17	12 to 15	13 to 16	12 to 16	11 to 16	13 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	24	26	27	26	24	22	19
Air°C, daily maximum	15	15	16	18	22	26	28	28	26	23	20	17
Rain days1 mm or more	12 of 31	10 of 28	9 of 31	4 of 30	5 of 31	2 of 30	1 of 31	0 of 31	2 of 30	3 of 31	7 of 30	11 of 31
Wetsuitfor that water and the air on kite days, + boots and gloves	4/3	5/4	5/4	3/2	3/2	shorty	shorty	shorts	shorty	spring	3/2	4/3

In January, Plaka averaged 11 kite days out of 31 (35 %). Water 18 °C, 4/3. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
In February, Plaka averaged 11 kite days out of 28 (39 %). Water 17 °C, 5/4. 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
In March, Plaka averaged 12 kite days out of 31 (40 %). Water 17 °C, 5/4. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
In April, Plaka averaged 10 kite days out of 30 (34 %). Water 18 °C, 3/2. 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
In May, Plaka averaged 9 kite days out of 31 (28 %). Water 19 °C, 3/2. 1 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
In June, Plaka averaged 13 kite days out of 30 (42 %). Water 24 °C, shorty. 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
In July, Plaka averaged 20 kite days out of 31 (65 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
In August, Plaka averaged 20 kite days out of 31 (63 %). Water 27 °C, boardshorts. 8 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
In September, Plaka averaged 13 kite days out of 30 (43 %). Water 26 °C, shorty. 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
In October, Plaka averaged 8 kite days out of 31 (27 %). Water 24 °C, spring suit. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
In November, Plaka averaged 9 kite days out of 30 (30 %). Water 22 °C, 3/2. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
In December, Plaka averaged 9 kite days out of 31 (28 %). Water 19 °C, 4/3. 1 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in December got at least 5 kite days.

Good years are not shown here: this spot has no complete per year values, because the two models drift apart over the years. 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 Plaka

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

January4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.6 expected
February3 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.7 expected
March4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.1 expected
April3 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.4 expected
May1 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 2.7 expected
June5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.4 expected
July8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.7 expected
August8 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 6.2 expected
September4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.0 expected
October (now)2 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 2.5 expected
November2 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.0 expected
December1 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 2.8 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.

Open in the trip planner

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

2 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 3.0 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 35 %
Kiteable 65 %
Too strong 0 %

Too light on 35 %, kiteable on 65 %, too strong on 0 % of days.

Best hours: 11:00 to 17:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.

Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors

Wind steadily from NW (315°).

Kitesurfing at Plaka: quick answers

When is the best time to kitesurf at Plaka?

The best months are July to August: from 2017 to 2025, 63 to 65 % of days in those months were kite days.

Is Plaka windy in October?

Sometimes. 27 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 8 days in a typical October. 2 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.

What is the water temperature at Plaka?

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 Plaka get in a year?

About 144 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 Plaka 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: Sitia Airport (JSH), 35 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
Time zone: UTC+03:00 in October
Coordinates: 35.2952, 25.7280
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

Selles
Greece · 16 points more kite days than Plaka in October
43 %
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 Selles: Jan 44 %, Feb 49 %, Mar 52 %, Apr 50 %, May 51 %, Jun 65 %, Jul 84 %, Aug 84 %, Sep 65 %, Oct 43 %, Nov 34 %, Dec 37 %
Kalo Chorio
Greece · 2 points fewer kite days than Plaka 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 Kalo Chorio: Jan 38 %, Feb 38 %, Mar 35 %, Apr 31 %, May 24 %, Jun 33 %, Jul 46 %, Aug 46 %, Sep 35 %, Oct 25 %, Nov 27 %, Dec 31 %
Gra Lygia
Greece · 9 points fewer kite days than Plaka 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 %
Sitia
Greece · 12 points more kite days than Plaka in October
39 %
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 Sitia: Jan 44 %, Feb 41 %, Mar 42 %, Apr 39 %, May 33 %, Jun 46 %, Jul 66 %, Aug 67 %, Sep 54 %, Oct 39 %, Nov 31 %, Dec 37 %
Lagada
Greece · 2 points more kite days than Plaka in October
29 %
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 Lagada: Jan 51 %, Feb 43 %, Mar 41 %, Apr 29 %, May 20 %, Jun 23 %, Jul 43 %, Aug 29 %, Sep 29 %, Oct 29 %, Nov 34 %, Dec 38 %
Chrysi
Greece · 4 points fewer kite days than Plaka 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 Chrysi: Jan 47 %, Feb 41 %, Mar 40 %, Apr 31 %, May 20 %, Jun 16 %, Jul 13 %, Aug 13 %, Sep 16 %, Oct 23 %, Nov 30 %, Dec 36 %
Chiona Beach
Greece · 35 points more kite days than Plaka in October
62 %
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 Chiona Beach: Jan 60 %, Feb 60 %, Mar 66 %, Apr 66 %, May 63 %, Jun 75 %, Jul 90 %, Aug 89 %, Sep 82 %, Oct 62 %, Nov 56 %, Dec 55 %
Xerokambos
Greece · 4 points more kite days than Plaka in October
31 %
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 Xerokambos: Jan 50 %, Feb 45 %, Mar 36 %, Apr 27 %, May 19 %, Jun 24 %, Jul 37 %, Aug 24 %, Sep 23 %, Oct 31 %, Nov 33 %, Dec 38 %

Plan your trip

Open in Google Maps

Booking reminder

Remind me when to book Plaka

One mail, about 8 weeks before your month starts, with the kite day odds for that month and the link to this page. No newsletter.

We send one confirmation mail first; the reminder is set only after you click its link, and unconfirmed addresses are deleted after 7 days. Every mail has an unsubscribe link and a delete link. Privacy

kiteCOMPASS Pro

Plan the whole trip, not just the month

Save trips, get Plan B spots for days without wind and compare three places side by side. 29 EUR per year.

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. Shares its model grid cell with 2 nearby spots, so the numbers describe the area, not one beach. Confidence: high.

Cite this

In October, 27 % of days at Plaka 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/plaka

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