Growing up in a small Franconian village wasn't always easy - at least as a windsurfer. Hardly any wind, hardly any water and no mates of the same age. On Sundays, the other youngsters would watch the local district team play football, while I cruised along the neighbouring country lanes on my rollsurfer.
When I moved north to Kiel in 2001, it was like entering a new world. There were surf buggies parked in the streets everywhere, people walked through the city with boards under their arms, there seemed to be more surf shops here (four) than bakeries in my home town (one) and I met secret heroes like Henning Nockel and Klaas Voget at the supermarket checkout.
More than 20 years later, the surf culture in Kiel is still omnipresent: no matter what time of year, there are always people on the water. Many top national riders live and train here and the density of surf buses is still unmissable. This is also due to the fact that the spot conditions on the doorstep are quite varied and new water sports enthusiasts are constantly arriving. In almost any wind direction, you can find either a flat water or wave spot within a 45-minute radius, provided the wind is strong enough. This makes the region quite attractive not only for living, but also for holidays. So that you can always find the right spot even if you're not a local, we present the best spots between Kiel and Weissenhaus.
The best surf spots between Kiel and Weissenhaus
In the area of the Kiel Fjord and east of it, there are very different spots over 40 kilometres. Which one you head for depends on the wind direction and, of course, your personal spot preferences.
By the way: there are also numerous spots north-west of Kiel, in the Eckernförde Bay, especially for wind directions from south-west to west and east to north-east: Spot Guide Baltic Sea - The best windsurfing spots in Eckernförde Bay
1st Bülk
The Bülker lighthouse is a popular city spot. Even large vehicles can be parked here just a stone's throw from the water's edge (subject to a charge), and in summer or at weekends, parking space can be scarce. The spot is frequented when the wind blows from the north to north-east, when there is even a swell up to chest-high that breaks moderately on the shore.
If you have surf experience, you can even find ramps for riding and jumping upwind of the pier, directly in front of the lighthouse, but these break on stony ground. Due to the numerous boulders and groyne remains in the water, this place is not for the faint-hearted. Things are much more relaxed downwind of the pier, where the wave tends to run smoothly onto the shore and hardly causes any problems when getting in and out. Further out there are swell waves that are equally fun for windsurfing and downwinding with a foil. Wind from the south to south-east is also possible in Bülk, but then it remains a small choppy wave.
2. beach
A good entry point is in the area of the Surf Club Kiel. Most of the paid parking spaces have a height restriction of two metres; there are only a few parking spaces for buses at the surf kiosk. In Strande, windsurfers, foilers and wingers take to the water together, with the best conditions being south-south-west (sideshore from the right) to south-east with only small chop. In spring, a thermal often provides more wind than forecast on sunny east wind days.
The entrance is quite rocky and you should be careful with long foils for the first 50 metres, as there are some boulders under the water. If the wind shifts to the north-east, which comes in sideonshore from the left, surf-like waves also run into the bay, which break on the sandbanks in front and invite you to jump. However, there is also an increasing amount of shorebreak in the entry area. Tip: After the session, head to the "Goldfisch" at the Schilksee Olympic harbour for a fish sandwich.
3. falcon stone
Falkenstein is THE city beach in Kiel. When the weather is nice, the people of Kiel use the favourable location to cool off - and sometimes also for a surf session. There are plenty of parking spaces directly behind the dyke. Due to the offshore sandbanks, the standing depth range extends over 100 to 200 metres - even beginners and intermediates can practise here safely in light winds. Westwind Kiel runs a centre here where you can book courses and hire equipment for windsurfing, wings and SUPs.
The beautiful sandy beach should not hide the fact that there are also some stones in the water. Winds from the south to south-east are ideal, but easterly or north-easterly winds are also quite favourable (onshore), in which case the sandbank largely blocks larger waves. In high summer, however, you must pay attention to the designated swimming zones, as the fairway further out is off limits anyway. In south-easterly winds, there is a shallow area with very smooth water directly downwind of the lighthouse - popular with freestylers as well as kiters. There are toilets and some nice cafés at the spot, such as the "Elefant am Strand" or the "Deichperle". The nearby high ropes course is a great tip for those in the doldrums.
4th Kitzeberg
For a quick session after work, Kitzeberg on the western shore of the inner fjord is a nice spot with short distances. Parking along the Stormdeich, south of the small pier, is even free of charge and without height restrictions.
It's a 20-metre walk from the car door to the rigging area and on to the water. The entry via the sandy beach is very easy, apart from a few stones in the water. The wind from the south-southwest to southwest comes sideshore from the left, and there is enough depth for foils and long fins just 30 metres from the shore. Be careful of a marked shallow area at the windward end of the beach. There are often many foilers on the water here, and the nearby channel makes the spot more suitable for manoeuvre and freestyle training than for long strokes. If the wind shifts to the west-south-west and becomes gusty, it is worth moving to Heikendorf Bay.
5. laboe
"Laboe is beautiful" - but often also pretty crowded. The large shallow lagoon between the harbour and the highly visible naval memorial attracts windsurfing beginners, freestylers (and kiters) like a moth to a flame. There are a limited number of parking spaces around the Surfer's Paradise water sports centre and the Strandklause. Alternatively, you can use the Car park Naval Monument and then walks about 200 metres to the water.
Apart from the deep channel directly in front of the submarine, most of the lagoon is shallow, with an offshore sandbank blocking the waves. Laboe is ideal for practising manoeuvres and tricks, even westerly to northerly winds are possible here. In strong south-westerly winds, the water sometimes becomes very shallow and is no longer sufficient for fins over 35 centimetres. There is then a deep alternative spot at the nearby harbour. However, the surfable corridor there is very narrow and the spot is therefore more of a tip for experienced water sports enthusiasts: The harbour entrance and jetty are on the left and the bathing area is on the right in summer. Be sure to keep your distance so that access can be maintained! Local tip: There are various cafés, restaurants, playgrounds and pretty tasty fish sandwiches around the harbour, for example in the "Fischküche".
6th stone
The holiday resort of Stein, like Laboe, boasts a large shallow lagoon. Although it is too shallow for long fins or even foils, it is ideal for beginners and windsurfing kids. You can park either on the village ring road or in the car park at Ellernbrook - from here it is about 400 metres to the water.
The beautiful sandy beach is very popular with families, and there are also playgrounds, toilets, catering facilities and the Tatort Hawaii water sports centre. The spot is particularly suitable for practising when the wind blows from the south-west, west to east. The water is always free of large waves and the bottom is sandy. The only thing you have to watch out for here in summer is the bathers.
7th Heidkate
There is a reason why "Heidi" is still one of the most popular spots in the Bay of Kiel. There are plenty of car parks, a beach kiosk, toilets, the Heidkate surf school - and often good windsurfing conditions. You can rig up on the dyke on grass, the path to the water is short. Apart from a few stones in the entry area, the ground is sandy and flat. There is a sandbank about 200 metres in front of the dyke, which means that intermediates can also practise safely in the front area.
In a west-south-westerly to westerly wind, only small choppy waves stray onto the sandbank, but outside you can also jump in swell waves. Be careful with long-lasting south-westerly or westerly winds, as the sandbank is sometimes very shallow below the water surface! If the wind turns to the north-west, you have a 200 metre run-up and can then use the moderate surf waves outside for jumping - a relaxed alternative to the Weissenhaus wave spot. East to east-northeast is also great in Heidkate - then with wind from the right and mini-surf on the sandbank. Overnight stays in camper vans are now prohibited here, but you can switch to the Heidkoppel campsite or to Brazil Mittelstrand.
8th California
If the wind in Heidkate blows too north-westerly or more from the east-south-east, California is a good alternative due to its slightly different orientation. Parking in the narrow centre of the village is difficult or even impossible, but is better at the Deichweg beach car park - although large campers over six metres long have little chance here in high summer. Here, too, it is possible to park on the dyke and enter the water between the groynes.
Overall, the standing area is significantly smaller and the sandbank is closer to the shore than in Heidkate, which means that more waves hit the beach in California in both north-westerly and east to east-south-easterly winds. Especially in strong easterly winds, California mutates into a good surf spot for jumping and riding. At the California surf school, located a little east of the car park, you can hire all kinds of water sports equipment and also attend courses.
9. Brazil central beach
Falling into bed tired after a day of surfing without changing location - that's best done in Brazil. The Mittelstrand campervan site is located directly behind the dyke, where you can spend the night for little money - without electricity or water. There is also plenty of parking space for day visitors (for a fee).
The spot conditions are similar to those in California: an offshore sandbank allows the incoming swell to break moderately, good for jumping and also for backside and frontside rides. It also gets deeper here more quickly than in Heidkate, for example, which means that a little more swell makes it to the shore and can form some shorebreak in strong easterly winds. The orientation here is slightly more north-west-south-east than California, which means that you have almost sideshore conditions in north-west and east-south-east winds. There are usually lots of kiters on the water in the south-east area of the beach.
10th Schönberg beach
At least in summer, there's a problem on Schönberg beach - it's difficult to find a car park close to the beach. In the winter months, however, there are plenty of (semi-legal) options around the pier in front of the closed hotels.
However, the conditions make up for the sometimes tedious search for a parking space, as the spot upwind of the long pier is considered to be one of the best in the region in strong north-west to north-north-west winds - especially when it is forecast to be a little too onshore for Weissenhaus. Then the wind shovels in up to head-high surf waves that break on an offshore sandbank and are suitable for both powerful jumps and beautiful frontside rides. Caution is only advised in front of the groyne heads and in the area of the pier. The obligatory rigging meadow on the dyke is of course part of the experience. A south-easterly wind is also possible - either upwind or far enough downwind of the pier - with much smaller waves and wind from the right.
11. lake Selent
After years of living in the shadows, Lake Selent was put back on the map by the foil trend. In contrast to many Baltic spots, it offers sufficient water depth, no seaweed even in summer and a very good wind quota thanks to local thermals in easterly wind conditions. The wide wind window - east and west are ideal, but northerly winds also work - also contributes to the lake's popularity.
The municipality has now installed a height restriction (2.2 metres) that excludes large vehicles from May to October. There is room to rig at the spot, and the rest of the family can also have a good time here thanks to the sheltered meadow, the bathhouse with café, toilets and snack bar as well as a playground. In the past, there have already been discussions about closing the spot - whereupon clear rules were defined that all water sports enthusiasts should adhere to: Access via the small sandy beach is reserved for bathers, with water sports enthusiasts entering via a staircase further to the left. As the shallow standing area is a swimming zone, you should only press the accelerator pedal further out and not enter the entire eastern part of the lake (to the right of the entry point). In both westerly and easterly winds, however, there is plenty of space for almost two-kilometre-long strokes anyway; easterly winds even shovel in some chop for jumps.
12. lip
There are legends surrounding Lippe, because there are days when the spot at the northern end of Hohwacht Bay can offer legendary wave conditions - namely when the wave turns around in a storm from north-west to north-north-west and creates clean side-offshore conditions. Unfortunately, such days are extremely rare and almost always limited to the winter months! Apart from that, wave fans also make a pilgrimage to Lippe when strong northerly winds are on the way. You can park at the "Klabautermann" restaurant north of the small harbour.
The entry point is a tough one - football-sized boulders, strong currents, a robust shore break and the view of the harbour's stone pier not far downwind are more for the hardy. On the other hand, in stormy weather, waves of over 2 metres sometimes roll in here, which are expertly broken up by the local scene. If you let yourself drop off a little and switch to the leeward side of the harbour, your surfing will be much more relaxed, as the waves are gentler here and a wide bay opens up to leeward.
13. Hohwacht
Instead of descending from Lippe, you can also turn up from Hohwacht - the two spots merge almost seamlessly. In the winter months, the hotel operators of the "Genueser Schiff" usually tolerate windsurfers in their car park - but it's always a good idea to ask nicely at reception.
Alternatively, you can park 200 metres further downwind in the large car park on Seestraße, where the entrance is usually a little more relaxed and nice cafés are open in summer. The conditions in the bay further upwind are absolute cream with the right wind strength: clean and powerful waves come in from north-north-west to north and offer ideal conditions for big jumps and frontside wave rides with several turns. You should only be careful in front of the Hotel Genueser Schiff, as there are some groyne remains and boulders here.
14 Weissenhaus
The old Weissenhaus estate is an absolute cult spot, but has changed noticeably over the years. Where there used to be wild parking, overnight stays and the occasional party, you can now spend the night in the orangery for 800 euros or eat caviar spaghetti for 75 euros following the renovation of the estate. Thankfully, the operators have largely preserved access for water sports enthusiasts. "Largely" because the car park at the "Alte Liebe" beach café is now height-restricted to 2.2 metres. Alternatively, you can head further east via Seestraße to a large car park that at least works up to a height of 2.4 metres.
On the water, it's still business as usual: Far to windward at the foot of the cliff, the surfers sit in the water, in front of the boathouse is the place for the windsurfers. The westerly wind is still very gusty, but as soon as the wind angle is between 285 and 315 degrees (west-north-west to north-west), it's party time. The waves quickly reach head height, and on stormy days logo-high sets sometimes thunder onto the sandbank. And both the wave on the sandbank and the shore break pack a punch - which guarantees action worth seeing and heavy wipeouts and makes the spot more recommendable for wave experts from 25 knots upwards. If the wind shifts from the north-west to the north, it is worth moving to Schönberger Strand, Hohwacht or Lippe. In gusty westerly winds, however, Heiligenhafen is often the better and more relaxed surfing alternative with significantly stronger and more constant winds.
General information Kiel Bay
Wind & Weather
The Bay of Kiel is ventilated by a wide variety of weather conditions, in principle there are surfable spots for every wind direction. When the wind blows from the south and south-west, shallow water conditions tend to prevail, but as soon as it blows from the west, north or east, surfing fans also get their money's worth. Low pressure systems can occur all year round, although they are naturally more frequent in spring and autumn. Stable easterly winds develop time and again, especially between April and June. Due to thermal amplification, the wind is then stronger than forecast at some spots. Because the wind comes over the still fresh Baltic Sea, the temperatures on the beach are often significantly lower than a few kilometres further inland. Until May, a warm 5/3 wetsuit and a bonnet in your luggage won't do any harm; in midsummer, a 4/3 wetsuit is usually sufficient in water temperatures of around 20 degrees.
Living & Camping
The area is well developed for tourism and there are numerous holiday flats available in various price categories. Wild camping is not a good idea in the entire region, as there are regular controls during the summer season. However, there are numerous campsites near the water - here is a selection of sites close to the water:
- Camping Möltenort (near the Kitzeberg/Laboe surf spots)
- Camping Neustein (near Laboe & Stein)
- Camping Fördeblick (near Laboe & Stein)
- Baltic Sea Camp Kliff (near Laboe & Stein)
- Camping - Holiday Park California (near California)
- Motorhome parking space Mittelstrand (Brazil)
- Hasselkrug campsite (Schönberger Strand)
- Grasbleek campsite (near Schönberg beach)
- Camping site Seeblick (Between Schönberger Strand & Hohwacht)
- Camping site at Selenter See
- Camping Waldesruh (near Hohwacht/Lippe)
- Camping Platen (near Hohwacht & Weissenhaus)
Surf schools & shops
Although Kiel has just 250,000 inhabitants, there are currently three windsurfing shops and other specialised shops for SUP and surfing.
There are also several water sports centres where you can hire equipment and take courses.
- Falkenstein: West Wind
- Laboe: Surfer's Paradise
- Stone: Crime scene Hawaii
- Heidkate: Surf school Heidkate
- California: Surfing California
- Schönberg beach: Surf school Schönberg
Alternative programme
If the wind doesn't play ball, the hinterland in particular offers a number of attractions. With the SUP, for example, the Plöner See or the unspoilt Schwentine with short or even multi-day paddling trips. A hike along the cliffs between Falkenstein and Strande is also very attractive. Tip: At the Olympic harbour in Schilksee, Goldfisch serves the best fish sandwiches in the area! There is also plenty to experience in the region away from the water - Lübeck and Hamburg are two major cities with a wide range of cultural attractions within easy reach. In Falkenstein there's also the great High Spirits high ropes course.
Good to know
Seaweed is an issue between July and October - appropriate fins always belong in your luggage.
