If you've already been to Karpathos in summer, you know it. If you're going for the first time, a warning: the Meltemi isn't a breeze.
It's a wind system that comes down from the north, channels itself between the islands of the Dodecanese and hits Karpathos with an almost calendar-like regularity. July and August are its months. It can blow for two days, it can blow for five. It doesn't ask permission.
The Meltemi is a dry wind that lowers the perceived temperature by as much as ten degrees. Beaches facing north — like Afiartis — become unswimmable for those wanting a calm dip, but a paradise for kitesurfers and windsurfers. The beaches to the east, sheltered by the mountain ridge that runs across the island, stay calm: at Apella, at Kyra Panagia, at Achata the sea remains flat.
The Meltemi isn't an inconvenience. It's part of the programme. Whoever understands it chooses the right beach.
I understood it on my second trip. On the first, I was convinced I was unlucky — the sea was choppy, the boat trips around the island weren't leaving, a wasted day. On the second I understood that day wasn't wasted: it was different. The Meltemi pushes you inland, towards the villages, towards the taverns where the locals eat. It's one of those winds that change your plans and improve the trip.