CalmBeach Greece
Meltemi options
Beaches in Lasithi usually better when the meltemi blows
21 sheltered beaches in Lasithi, oriented away from the meltemi. Check live wind & waves on CalmBeach before you go.
- 21beaches
- 5organized
- 6with photos
The meltemi blows from N/NE, and the split shows up clearly in the data. Of the 66 beaches we have modelled, 21 take no open water toward N/NE; they cluster on the south coast, facing an arc of SE–SW. The most reliable of them are listed below. The other 34 sit wide open to it.
The reason is the shape of the coast itself: these beaches have land behind them on the side the wind comes from. They are not necessarily enclosed bays — they simply sit in the wind shadow of the shore opposite.
The trade-off, plainly: the same south coast is open to the opposite wind. On days the wind swings from the south, the shelter reverses and the far side is the better call. So this list narrows the choice — it does not replace the forecast; check live wind and waves on the beach page before you go.
The beaches
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Agia Fotia
The cove at the mouth of the Thripti stream — Agia Fotia sits on the south coast of Lasithi, about twelve kilometres east of Ierapetra, near Ferma. The small settlement is said to take its name…
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Mazida Ammos
Xerokampos's long sandy beach — Mazida Ammos is the longest beach of Xerokampos, at the southeastern tip of Crete, about five hundred metres from the small settlement in the…
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DiaskariThe Dioscuri shore on the Libyan Sea — Diaskari lies on the south coast of Lasithi in Crete, about four kilometres east of Makrigialos, open to the Libyan Sea. It is said to take its name…
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Photo credits
- Diaskari: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
- Dianiskari: Mietek Ł, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lagkada: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
- Botzalaki: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0
- Paralia tis Grias to Pidima: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0
Good to know
Which beaches in Lasithi may be better when the meltemi blows?
The bays listed here are shielded from the meltemi in the exposure model, so they may be more comfortable when it blows. Local conditions still vary, so confirm wind and waves before you go.
Does this guarantee low waves?
No. Shelter shows which coasts are shielded from a wind direction, not guaranteed calm or low waves. On strong-wind days follow local flags and check live wind and waves in the app.
When is the sea calmest here?
Across 18 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.65 m in June, 0.72 m in July and 0.70 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.68 m in September. June is the calmest month of the season. We calculate these figures ourselves from European Copernicus wave-model data at 4.2 km resolution. They describe the sea offshore, not the shelter of an individual cove — a bay protected by a headland will usually be calmer than this.
How warm is the water, month by month?
Off 18 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 19.8 °C in May, 22.9 °C in June, 25.1 °C in July, 26.4 °C in August and 25.7 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. In October it is still 24.0 °C — warmer than June. August is the warmest month. Satellite measurements, 1995–2024, from a sea cell about 5 km offshore; shallow bays usually run warmer than this.
Wind and waves change every day. See live conditions for any of these beaches before you drive out.
Open the live map →