Germany: Lake Dümmer

The term "shallow lake" applies to Lake Dümmer in two ways. Firstly, it is not deep, on average only one and a half metres. And secondly, it lies quite flat, in a lowland plain where the wind is not slowed down by anything. That's why a smart person goes to the Dümmer.

That's right, I'm on my way from Kiel to the lake where I grew up. Even if some people think that for me it should rather be: "Where I stayed small"... But that doesn't really matter here... I'm originally from Osnabrück. For as long as I can remember, my parents always had a caravan on the Dümmer, which is about 45 kilometres away, and I spent almost every weekend there until I finished school. It all started with sailing, but my parents put me on a windsurfing board for the first time when I was six, and this sport has dominated my life ever since. After graduating from school, I spent my civilian service on Wangerooge before moving to Kiel, the windsurfing capital of Germany, to study. I've been living and surfing there for seven years now. But the Dümmer is still my home spot.

The Dümmer is surrounded by moors (Dümmer = dark sea), only three larger villages are located on the water. Dümmerlohausen on the west side, Lembruch in the north-east and Hüde on the south-east bank, all three have access to the water and small harbour facilities that are used by sailors. The windsurfing scene tends to be limited to the east side, as Hüde is the only place where it is officially possible to get into the water legally with a board. There is a fairly spacious meadow here (already signposted on the main road as "Surfeinsatzstelle") and directly behind the dyke is the large (paid) car park, so there are very few problems with space on land. The small surf shop with the most necessary spare parts is located at the car park, a larger shop can be found about four kilometres away in Lembruch (Funsport Dümmersee).

There is also a small but well-equipped VDWS surf school right next to the centre in Hüde, which has equipment for beginners and advanced surfers. Here, surf instructor Robin offers everyone the opportunity to get to know the sport of windsurfing. And the Dümmer is more suitable for beginners and children in particular than almost any other lake in Germany. The water only drops deeper than 1.5 metres in a few places, adults can wade almost completely through the lake and the kids at least have a very large standing area near the shore. The bottom actually only consists of sand, in places it is a little muddy, but there are very few stones. Due to the shallow water depth, the Dümmer also heats up relatively quickly in summer and reaches real bathtub temperatures. The wind is generally much weaker than on the coast, making it perfect for beginners and intermediates on many days of the year. When it's really choppy, usually south-west to north-west, a small, steep wind wave builds up that is very suitable for jumping. North or south winds are also good for riding, but gustier.

The best wind months are in spring and autumn, although it should be mentioned at this point that the Dümmer is closed to water sports every year from 1 November to 31 March for nature conservation reasons. This is actually monitored and non-compliance costs a fine. The conditions on the Dümmer are relatively typical of a lake. There are generally choppy waves, but at the same time there are always spots with almost perfect flat water in all wind directions, making the Dümmer a dream spot for freestyle training. This is also reflected in the now pretty decent standard of the Dümmer locals. Old school moves are constantly being ridden, but a few loops, volcanoes and spocks can also be seen on any good day. And the youngsters in particular, such as Bodo Schakat, who has just turned 15, are attracting a lot of attention.

You can always rely on Sören, Kamikaze, Bodo & Co, they are already on the water. It probably won't be one of those legendary Dümmer Big Days today, but with the 6.3 and the Freestyler it will at least be enough to glide from time to time. I can feel the anticipation and the adrenalin rising. I've rarely set up as quickly as on this day, even though it's only on a lake with murky, choppy water and gusty winds... But to be honest: the Dümmer is really beautiful as soon as there is enough wind. Sure, Heiligenhafen or Altenteil would certainly have been good today, but on a day like this I have at least as much fun with friends from the past as I do at the good Baltic spots, so I'm always incredibly excited to get my Spocks into the lake. INFO

6 Images

I'm sitting in the bus on the A1 motorway just before Bremen. In Brinkum, I leave the motorway and head south, first towards Diepholz, then on towards Osnabrück until I reach Hüde on Lake Dümmer. The trees at the side of the road move quite a bit, at least with every large cloud that appears, and images of past Big Days at the Dümmer are inevitably conjured up in my mind. 4.2s with flying water or those incredible days in the sunset with the 6.3 and a few good friends from back then... Something like that would be a blast again...

Surf shops:

www.funsport-duemmersee.de

Surf Club:

info@wscd-duemmer.de

www.wscd-duemmer.de

Wind and climate:

www.wetteronline.de

www.duemmer.de

Alternative activities:

Accommodation:

Other information:

tid@duemmer.de