History? sure. Culture and architecture? Definitely. Food? Right on. But surfing? Not so much.
But why is this? While Greece is surrounded by three seas, and features 10,000 miles of coastline across its 6,000 islands, the general consensus has previously been that this Mediterranean country is too sheltered from wind to produce the big waves needed for surfing.
As the increasing number of surfers across the Greek islands will attest to, this is simply not true. In fact, over the past few years, Greece has seen a growing surf culture, with many locals and visitors getting increasingly amped about surfing.
There are now tons of great places to go surfing in Greece to check out, so if you’re thinking of riding some hellacious waves in Hellas, here are the best places to go.
1. Kolymbithres, Tinos
There’s plenty of reason to visit the island of Tinos, with this lesser-known Greek island a real treasure of the Cyclades. The bay of Kolymbithres is one such treasure, and it features two beaches.
The first, Mikri Ammos, often hosts beach volleyball in the summer, but it is the second beach, Megali Ammos, which will interest surfers. Known locally as ‘California’, Megali Ammos is a pristine setting that is still relatively unspoiled by tourism, and provides a stunning surf spot.
Thanks to a long and wide beach with deep waters and underwater currents, Kolymbithres beach has an easy lineup current and stunning views.
2. Keros, Limnos
Advertising itself as ‘the kind of beach you see on computer desktops’, Keros features idyllic turquoise water, a golden sandy beach, and crucially for surfers, the waves of the meltemi wind.
Situated on the western side of the somewhat underrated island of Limnos, Keros Beach features a surf club that also offers windsurfing and kitesurfing too. There is a wide range of accommodation options, ranging from luxury tents to studios.
This beach benefits hugely from the famed meltemi wind, an annual natural phenomenon that blows northwards from around May to September, offering peak surfing conditions.
3. Arkassa beach, Karpathos
Karpathos is another hidden gem of an island, and despite its 75 spectacular golden beaches, it is still relatively unknown to tourists. The island boasts four different surfing spots, with Arkassa beach the best of them, due to its large waves and hardy current.
The beach plays host to the Karpathos Adventure Surf School, which offers surfing lessons at all levels, as well as windsurfing, and a variety of other activities, including biking and hiking around this incredibly picturesque island.
4. Messakti, Ikaria
Ikaria is known as the island of longevity, with one of the best life expectancies in the world, and its not hard to see why.
With its crystal clear waters and golden sand, Messakti is the most popular beach on the island of Ikaria. You can catch some rays on one of the many sunbeds for hire, while enjoying a drink from a waterfront cantina.
Ikaria is named after Icarus who, according to Greek Mythology, fell into the sea nearby. Appropriately, in August, Messakti beach becomes a hotbed for surfers who travel to the area to jump into the sea themselves, taking advantage of the perfect surf conditions.
Messakti beach features Ikaria surf school, which offers affordable lessons for all levels, as well as various yoga and calisthenics camps.
5. Agios Theologos Beach, Kos
Kos is one of the more well-known Greek islands, and this historic location is a part of the Dodecanese island chain along with Karpathos, and the popular Rhodes. Kos features a variety of excellent surfing spots, including the famous Theologos beach.
Also known as ‘wave beach’, this admired spot is known for body surfing and kite surfing, and is situated just past the historic Kefalos village.
Unlike many of the other locations in this list, there are very few surf centres in Kos, so if you’re planning a visit to Agios Theologos, make sure to bring your equipment with you.
If you are looking for employment or summer seasonal-jobs-working-holidays Greece then Kos is also one of the best islands to consider going to.
6. Lagouvardos beach, Messinia
The island of Messinia is probably best known for the luxurious beach resort Costa Navarino. For surfers and swimmers however, the lesser-known Lagouvardos beach provides an equally compelling reason to visit this island.
This sandy white beach is around 500 metres long, and features shallow but strong waves, and it has become increasingly popular with surfers, who can enjoy the waves away from the more commercialised parts of the island.
Taking advantage of this spot is the Beach Break surfing centre, which provides lessons for individuals, groups, and kids.
Plan a Surfing Break to Greece
These surf spots are just a taster of the many idyllic locations littered across the thousands of beaches in the Greek islands.
With so many unspoiled beaches to enjoy, the places on this list are just the beginning, and there could be the perfect surfing spot ready and waiting for you to discover.
Before departing you might like to learn some useful phrases for travel in Greece to converse with locals. Or to see as much of the country as possible search Greece tours.
By Daniel Folks
