Journal · Notes from Alaçatı

Windsurfing and kitesurfing in Alaçatı: the wind that changed our village

Windsurfing and kitesurfing in Alaçatı: when the wind blows, why the shallow bay is so loved, where kiters go, learning as a beginner and the World Cup races, in our own words.

Ask anyone about Alaçatı windsurfing and they will start with the wind. From late spring into autumn a steady northerly, which foreign sources call the Meltemi, blows over Alaçatı Bay, a V-shaped bay of clear, shallow water a short drive from the old town. Çeşme municipality gives the northerly an average of force 4 to 6 from June to mid-September; GoTürkiye speaks of 15 to 25 knots and of surfers arriving from all over the world mostly between May and September. July and August are the steadiest months, and a German surf magazine puts the chance of wind at up to 70 per cent in summer. GoTürkiye counts Alaçatı among the seven most popular windsurfing centres in the world, and the sails are part of our summer view.

What makes the bay special is the water. GoTürkiye notes that the sea is no deeper than 1.5 metres even far from the shore and stays flat; the surf magazine describes a standing area some 500 metres wide. A beginner can simply stand up again after every fall, which is why so many people learn to windsurf here. The wind builds during the day and is strongest in the late afternoon, so mornings are usually gentler for a first lesson. Schools and board hire are on the shore, so there is no need to bring anything; we have listed the schools on a separate page of our guide. Our only advice: learn with a certified instructor, and ask about the day's wind before you go.

Kitesurfers have their own corners. In Alaçatı Bay they use the south-eastern end, while windsurfers keep to the western side. Many kiters head to Pırlanta Beach at Çiftlikköy, at the western end of Çeşme, where the sand shoals are some 250 metres wide. Çeşme municipality writes that the kitesurfing season there runs from April to November, and the surf magazine reports that officially only kitesurfers may go out from that beach. Kitesurfing arrived at Pırlanta in the 2000s, and the Turkish Kitesurf Championship was held there in 2005. Rules and swimming areas can change with the season, so please ask on the spot.

The bay is a racecourse, too. For many seasons the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) has brought its slalom World Cup to Alaçatı: in 2015 the world's best raced here from 17 to 22 August, and in 2023 the PWA World Cup opened the Alaçatı Wind Fest from 4 to 8 October, with the support of Çeşme municipality, nearly a hundred athletes from many countries and a parade through the town joined by the Turkish Sailing Federation. In 2025 it was the young racers' turn: the PWA Youth Slalom was held here from 8 to 12 October. Dates change every year; if your stay coincides, the shore is the best seat.

The windsurfers were among the first to discover Alaçatı. GoTürkiye calls it the home of windsurfing since the nineties; the surf magazine tells of a pioneer who first came in 1990, when the shore was almost empty, and of the first surf centre opening a few years later. Çeşme municipality recalls that in the 1980s hundreds of caravans parked in front of Pırlanta beach and people watched the windsurfers from their vans in the evening. Today nearly every beach has a school, a hotel or a restaurant, and the old fishing harbour has become a marina. The rest of our village's story is in our piece on Hacımemiş.

You do not have to surf to love this bay. Sit on the shore in the late afternoon, when the wind is at its strongest, watch the sails cross the water and stay until the light turns golden. We often end a summer day like that. If you want to know where the wind is best that day, ask us in the morning.

Book ← Journal