Mykonos - warm water in the summer?
 

We were in Mykonos a couple of years ago and had a great time, loved the island. We are thinking to return this summer.

However, even while the weather was great that August, bright sun (of course very strong winds), the sea was cold. Even at the shallow beaches. Beautiful aqua water and yes we went in but, we were surprised by this. In truth, I think that the temps that summer were a bit lower than ususal, maybe low 80s or so. Yet, is this common every summer? Great beach and sun but very chilly water? Thanks.

Any time the wind blows it cools the surface of the sea the same way you cool a cup of coffee by blowing on it. In general the Aegean is nice and warm by August. There's no way to know how strong the wind will be but in general the Meltemi winds are strongest in late July and August.

Sea temperatures at Mykonos are around 70°F in early June, and peak at about 75° F in August. Even Crete, which is much further south, has sea temperatures only about 2 degrees higher. Those, of course, are surface temperatures. During storms the water circulates, and temperatures in shallow bays drop until sun warms the water again.

Many first-timers expect tropical temperatures in the Aegean, but that's not the case. Greece is about the same latitude as US mid-Atlantic states. :-)

The warmest water I've always found on Mykonos is at Ornos. I have no idea why but I wonder if it is because the bay is much protected from the winds as there are steep rocky hills which surround it like a horseshoe. Even at Agios Ioannis which is close by (but not protected) the water is colder.

Thank you very much for the feedback. We will now what to expect again. Cheers.

I was in Mykonos late September last year and found the weather to be warm/hot during the day but much cooler at night as the wind got up. The sea was fine once I actually got in but definately not tropical temps though.