Greek Sea Kayaking

[Drumsticks07]

Me and a partner are looking to complete a sea kayaking expedition around the Naxos area in Greece but are struggling to find a place that will let us rent kayaks for this purpose. Does anyone have any experience in this area or know anyone who does that you could put us in contact with? Cheers

[twopigs]

You could ask on the Kayaking in Greece FB page ....

[Ceegee]

You could try Rod in Milos. It's doable if you are planning a multi-day. The maximum hop is 20km from Sifnos to Antiparos. If you want to stick just to Naxos he may be able to advise. Many outfits will rent unsupervised if you can demonstrate competency or come with a referral, in my experience.

[SkinnyBoat]

I hope you like gale force winds and big seas! Check out the Meltemi.

[Ceegee]

Yep, we get these violent funneling north winds all over the Med. The Meltemi in Greece, Bora in the Adriatic, Mistral in France or Tramuntana here in Mallorca. The latter can blow 3-4 days with beautiful crisp air and blue skies, and complete closes out the north shore where I live. But in Spring (Jan-April) and Autumn (Sept-Oct) we get some beautiful still paddling weather, like today.

Summer is probably worse. You need to get your paddling in early in the day, before the afternoon onshore winds start.

[SkinnyBoat]

True, however the Tramantuna is usually a short lived wind. Whilst the Cyclades, the Meltemi can last for weeks in the summer, and there is no morning relief. This is usually due to sea breezes which is a separate phenomenon. I love Naxos, but the OP needs to be aware of the weather patterns.

[Drumsticks07]

We’re going in April so the summer winds will be less prevalent. We’ve done most of the research and planning. We just now need to secure kayaks. Thank you for all the input guys. It’s really helpful

[Chris Bolton]

I went in October, to miss the winds, in 2005. We had 3 days of strong winds, otherwise light. Outside the tourist season many places are closed and we sometimes found accommodation difficult. Wild camping is illegal but away from towns nobody knows you're there. We hired 3 kayaks from a start-up business on Antiparos, but the website no longer exists. Two of us took our own folding kayaks. I don't know if things have changed, but we were told there were laws !(maybe harbour byelaws) against going more then 2 miles from land and the kayak hirer was concerned that he would be prosecuted if we broke this. (We didn't tell him, so that he could deny helping us).

[asmar]

The law is 500 meters from the shore and not 2 miles; whoever told you that has no clue about the law.
It is a pain the kayak law in Greece as it is the same from 60s....usually the coast guard doesn't say anything but if they catch you in a big crossing most likely they will force you to go back (in the best scenario).
Regarding meltemi, in April isn't there but you should expect very big seas; strong south winds that still blowing during April bring at least interesting conditions.