The best beaches for windsurfing are along its eastern
coastline. The strong winds from the north, ‘the Meltemi’ blow
consistently during the summer and this is intensified by the
channel which separates Paros from its eastern neighbour, Naxos,
creating an amazing wind tunnel for these kinds of activities.
Many beaches have wind/kitesurfing facilities and clubs for
beginners and experienced surfers. The best beaches however are
Pounta (on the western side of the island) and, on the eastern
side; Santa Maria, Golden Beach and New Golden Beach, which is
thought to be the windiest place on the island and where, every
August, the World Windsurfing Cup competition is held. We
recommend the following:
Sun Wind Surf Club. Located on the beautiful Golden Beach
next to the PWA World Cup site. The owner of this surf club,
local man Theo Fisilani, has 20 years experience and is a fully
qualified instructor, certified by the Hellenic Sailing Coaches
Association and also has a Lifeguard Certificate. Windsurfing
lessons are available for all levels from beginners to
experienced surfers who may wish to perfect their manoeuvres.
There are also novice lessons for children. Lessons last for one
hour and can be one-off or a series of lessons. Sun Wind Surf
Club, apart from tuition and board rentals, also offers
facilities for board storage and repairs, sea kayaking and water
skiing and tubes.
Paros Surf Club: This surf club, located at the windiest
beach of the island, New Golden Beach was launched in Paros in
1984, moving to its current base in 1989. For eight years it was
responsible for organising the Professional Windsurfing
Association World Cup competition on New Golden Beach,
establishing the bay as one of the premier windsurfing spots in
Europe. Run by a very experienced, professional multilingual
team of instructors the club offers a comprehensive windsurfing
service which includes tuition (for all levels), and board and
sail rental. Customer safety is paramount and Paros Surf Club
replaces their equipment every year with first class, brand new
boards and rigs. As well as windsurfing, the Paros Surf Club
also offers tuition and equipment for a range of other
water sports, including: water skiing, kneeboarding,
wake-boarding, diving, and banana and tube rides. It also has a
mountain bike rental service.
