Paros

Pounda is unique – there are not many sports in the world with our setup. The beach is on a channel between two islands – Paros and Antiparos – where the north and south wind blows parallel with the channel. This creates a Venturi effect and we usually always have wind, particularly with northerlies or southerlies. I think that says everything for a wind sports center. The water quality is good, pretty flat up to 20 knots, with little current or tide, and light to moderate winds which make riding upwind easy – the perfect conditions for teaching any wind sport. 

When the wind blows over 20 knots, the place becomes the dream terrain for freestyle and Big Air. There are other spots around the island, but they are better for windsurfing as the wind comes overland and can be gusty. In the winter we get southerly and easterly wind when these spots become the ultimate waveriding playground for us locals. The best time to visit us is from March to November, with more stable wind and warmer days in June to September. During the summer we get the Meltemi northerly trade winds. However, you can kite, wing or windsurf in Paros all year long. For the three winter months (Dec to Feb), be prepared for stormy days if you want to score every single windy day.

The first kite ever seen in Greece was actually in Paros back in the mid to late 90s. In 1999 I first kited with a Wipika Free Air, modified from two to four lines, and on a surfboard modified with foot straps! My best man, Ian Mc Entee from Ireland, actually taught me to kitesurf. I had been windsurfing for years so from the moment I got a kite in my hands I was hooked. I loved the ability to jump in lighter wind and the waveriding aspect of the sport, compared to windsurfing where you need plenty of wind and waves to jump or waveride.

My family had had a property at Pounda since 1980. They opened a windsurf club with a beach bar in 1993, as so many people were showing up to windsurf in front of our summer vacation house! It was a great era… In my teenage years I worked at the windsurf center as an instructor and rental assistant. Back then everything was mostly for the lifestyle we had as a windsurf-driven family. It was impossible to make a living out of windsurfing, but when kiting showed up, we all saw the potential business growth opportunity. We officially opened our new kite center, ParosKite, in the summer of 2001.

At the beginning, kiting was literally an experiment, with many accidents. Around 2005 the first boom started with improved four-line SLE kites with loads of depower and better safety systems. Kiting became safer and a bit easier, and immediately our business grew very fast and in a very big volume over the following years. In 2008 I bought a new property just beside my family’s land in order to expand. We moved the kite and windsurf center onto the new land and that gave loads of space for the beach bar that my family continued running.

We have had so much fun here over the years. One memorable day was when we kited in formal suits, another was the “full moon shine” where we showed our asses to each other every time we crossed on the water – it was basically kiting with your ass out! We have also had many pros pass by, from freestylers to Big Air fanatics, and even the Olympics gold medal winner, Valentin Bontus. He learned at our spot and worked for us as an instructor to help out in the high season. We love Valentin – he has been part of the ParosKite family for many years!

We’d love for you to visit us, become part of the family and join in the fun. If you get sick of kiting you can also go wakeboarding, waterskiing, tow foiling, scuba diving or you can rent a boat for a cruise around Antiparos beaches, plus enjoy the top restaurants to unwind in. If you are unlucky enough to injure yourself while you’re here, or even just want help reaching your full potential on the water, you can visit Max Giulis and his team of health practitioners at Physiobros, located at ParosKite as part of the hotel services. Experienced in water sports, Physiobros combine their physical therapy knowledge with their experience in kiting and other sports to provide you with the most specialized care. So, all bases covered!

I know there are a lot of famous spots to kitesurf on other Greek islands – Naxos, Santorini, Rhodes, Kos and so on. I sometimes travel to other islands in the winter, chasing storms to waveride. Each island and each spot is unique, both for conditions and for sightseeing, and I could talk about our spots in Greece for hours… But honestly, I think the best place to be is in fact Paros…

I’ll let some of our local Eleveight riders have the last word. Max, our local physio mentioned above, says, “Paros is one of my favorite places to kite because of the people – we are a good team of riders pushing each other and progressing all together.” George Kintis [who has featured in this magazine before] says, “Pounda is our main spot that we enjoy the most for Big Air and the sweetest conditions, but George G has shown us a couple of ‘secret’ spots when we need to film or train a bit more privately around the area when Pounda is busy.” GKA competitor, Logan Merringer said, “Paros has been an amazing place to live and work. As a kiter, having such consistent wind – sometimes some of the strongest I’ve ever kited in – makes for great progression and epic memories. The flat blue water and strong Meltemi winds make for an ideal training ground for strapless freestyle. Here I am blessed to have the opportunity to train and work with some incredibly talented riders. The island itself adds so much to the lifestyle here, the energy during the windy summer months is something really special. Although it is a stark contrast from where I grew up, I feel lucky to call Paros home for the summer months.”