Surfing ban in Greece from wind force 6 - Update
There are plenty of strong wind spots in Greece - when the Meltemi blows and the local wind picks up, the smallest sails are regularly unfurled on Crete, Karpathos and other top spots. Only very few surfers realise this: Sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing above 25 knots is officially prohibited throughout Greece!
The background to this is that expensive search and rescue missions have repeatedly been required to rescue sailors, surfers and SUP paddlers in distress. As the nationwide law from 2018 has not been monitored at all so far, the outcry in the water sports community has been limited.
Some of this now seems to be changing: Readers told us about fines of between 300 and 500 euros that were imposed on Santorini and at the Athens Citypot Loutsa. When asked by surf, Tony Frey, operator of a surf centre in Loutsa, also confirmed the incidents. The fines are due if you are on the water as a sailor, windsurfer or kitesurfer at over 25 knots; SUPing is already taboo from 20 knots.
Do Greece fans now have to fear for their favourite spots? The truth is also that the controls seem to be carried out very differently from region to region. While Loutsa and Santorini were subject to increased controls in 2020, the law does not seem to be an issue at all on Paros, Mykonos and other islands.
In addition, as Tobias Gottfried from Surf & Kite Theologos/Rhodes emphasises, "as a guest of a surf centre, you are not threatened by the penalties. Every centre in Greece must have a lifeboat and guarantee the safety of its own guests."
To summarise, it can be said that the risk of incurring a hefty fine is currently rather low at most Greek spots - because there are no comprehensive controls. However, the risk cannot be completely dismissed at any spot, especially if you are on the water with your own equipment and have not booked through a surf centre.
What do you think? Were you already aware of the regulation and would you miss out on a windsurfing holiday in Greece because of it? Write us an email to redaktion@surf-magazin.de
