Is it worth the trip?
13Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- WSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 179kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 17, too small
- Mon 215, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 533, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 103, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 5 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 179kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 17°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 03:20 +0.1 mLow 10:52 −0.0 mHigh 18:02 +0.0 mLow 21:52 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:19 +0.1 mLow 12:27 −0.0 mHigh 19:08 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:16 +0.0 mHigh 06:40 +0.1 mLow 13:20 −0.0 mHigh 19:50 +0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot and its town
Makrys Gyalos on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
4 places
- Strofi 0.6 km away
- Makri Gialos harbour 0.7 km away
- Neighbour beach from Makri Gialos 1 km away
- Peristeras 19.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Makrys Gyalos
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (181°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (1°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Makrigialos, 0.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,250–US$2,380 each
about US$1,250–US$2,380 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to HER, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$596–US$1,240 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$121–US$208 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,250–US$2,380 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
1 min by car · 38 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Makrigialos its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Koutsounari on Booking.com
24 min by car · 24 places to stay
- Beds in Sitia on Booking.com
39 min by car · 42 places to stay
About US$80 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 20h 55m
About 20h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HER, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 40m by road
Flights ORD → HER on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.