Surfing on a board is a very popular aquatic sport originating from ancient Hawaiian civilization. All one needs is a board and a wetsuit for the winter! However, the most interesting question is whether Crete is a place where someone could surf. What most people don't know is that there are stunning places that feature waves from 1.5 up to 2.5 meters. Especially in winter when the sea is full of waves, surfing is an ideal sport for those loving the pumping sea.
Depending on the forecast conditions there are many spots all around the island. In general strong swells come from the West, it follows that Chania has a better explosion than any other region of Crete. On the other hand, when the swell goes with the strong wind the West beach-breaks (like Falasarna) get choppy and the Heraklion region, being protected by the wind, is the best solution. The trick consists of finding a good compromise between sea and wind power. In order to make it easy let's distinguish between the winter and the summer seasons.
Spots in Winter:
During winter West swells cross the Mediterranean Sea and finally hit the Cretan coast. In some likely cases, pumping waves occur in absence of wind, and glassy conditions are expected. In those desirable cases, beach-breaks and point-breaks are the most suitable for wave riding.
Chania region: Falasarna beach (waves may get up to 3 meters high), Sfinari beach, Paleochora beach.
Heraklion and Rethymno region: Arina beach, Kokkinos Pirgos, Agia Galini, Komos beach.
Lassithi region: Makrigialos beach (ONLY when the swell comes from south)
In strong wind condition is better to find protected bays:
Heraklion region: Konaki beach (in Kokkini Hani), Komos beach.
East Crete: Stalida beach (the best spot in strong north wind condition), Almiros beach.
Summer:
In Summer consistent swells are rare and meltemi winds blow from the north persistently during the season. This is not the best scenario for Cretan surfer but still, they eventually have 1-meter size waves hitting the coast. Beach-breaks are the best spots indeed, in absence of wind Falasarna beach (Chania) and Arina beach (Heraklion) are the place to head to. In windy conditions better to aim to Sfinari beach, Komos beach (south Heraklion), Stalida beach.
Facilities and equipment:
There are also a few beaches equipped for renting surfboards and giving surf lessons to beginners, here below we mention some of them.
Arina Beach:
Surf in Crete (http://surfincrete.com)
https://www.facebook.com/thanos.popi?fref=ts
Falasarna Beach:
https://www.facebook.com/surfislandcrete?pnref=story
https://www.facebook.com/ChaniaSurfClub?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/surfing.crete?fref=ts
Other Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc2n-1kdwxw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYizstftJUU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps7VKZtlGrQ
Webcams:
http://www.visitmatala.com/live.php?lang=en
Credits to Diego Dibba
