Windsurfing spots: The best flat-water spots on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Manuel Vogel
· 11.09.2023
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Apparently, there are people who switch their GPS device back on in the car on the way home, just to see if it can actually measure speeds above 30 knots – after all, when windsurfing, it stubbornly refuses to display such speeds. The thing must be broken!
If you’re out on the water without any technical aids and your main aim is to finally pull off a clean jibe or finally pull off that trendy power freestyle move with some real ‘power’, the only thing left to blame is the spot itself: “Too choppy, too chaotic – how on earth are you supposed to pull off a proper manoeuvre in here?!”
Since it certainly can’t be down to the surfer, it’s time for the manoeuvre lab – spots where the crash of the choppy waves gives way to a steady hiss and anything seems possible – every trick and top speeds just like on the drive home in the car.
The Wadden Sea in particular offers world-class, smooth slopes, but there are also special spots on the Baltic Sea away from the well-known shallow-water hotspots such as Wulfen or the Wieker Bodden on Rügen. There is, however, one drawback to all these top spots: if you surf slowly here or mess up a manoeuvre, you’ll have one less excuse afterwards.
NORTH SEA
The mudflats, with their channels and sandbanks, are a paradise for speed skaters and freestylers. The price you pay is having to walk across the mudflats with all your kit – but fortunately, that’s not the case everywhere.
5th place: Büsum
"The best and currently fastest speed spot in Germany is Büsum," says Manfred Merle, a speed surfer from Hanover. He should know. With south-south-westerly to south-westerly winds, the water in the tidal channel isn’t just as smooth as Paris Hilton’s legs – because the nearest obstacle is at least 30 kilometres away, the wind blows incredibly consistently across the sandbanks, often stronger than forecast. The sandbanks are exposed for just two hours before and after high tide, forming the perfect run for speed surfers and freestylers. Epic! A westerly wind is also good for pulling off tricks, but you should avoid the third and fourth hours before and after low tide, as the currents are extremely strong then! This spot is only recommended for experienced windsurfers. The starting point is the car park at Neuenkoog, behind the dyke in Stinteck.
It doesn’t get any better than this! If you’re taking it too easy here or mess up your freestyle trick, there are no excuses.
The wind statistics are excellent; even in the summer months, the wind blows at more than 12 knots 60 per cent of the time. However, as the tide and wind direction have to be right, we can’t exactly expect waves to be crashing all around us here.
After trudging through the mud for 30 minutes and crossing the tidal creeks – Büsum is not the sort of place where you can afford to leave your trapeze on the shore or choose the wrong sail.
4th place: Meldorfer Speicherkoog
Meldorf is the go-to spot for many Hamburg flat-water enthusiasts; more specifically, the Speicher-koog to the west of this village of 8,000 inhabitants. The drive through Dithmarschen is rewarded with parking spaces right at the water’s edge, and the conditions at the spot are quite decent when the prevailing winds are from WSW to NW. Towards the banks, you can also find smooth patches for manoeuvres and short top-speed runs, but in the middle section a steep choppy swell builds up quickly. Just ten metres from the shore, the water is deep enough even for long slalom fins; for this reason, beginners (there’s a surf school at the spot), slalom enthusiasts and the top tricksters from the German Freestyle Battle all meet here in equal measure.
Not the best spot for GPS runs or power freestyle on glassy water, though there’s sometimes nice flat water near the shore. Pros: Safe and not affected by the tides. Cons: You can sometimes taste the agricultural activity in the area in the water.
Good wind availability at 40 per cent in summer and 60 per cent in March – but the wind window is rather small – hence only two stars.
It’s less than 20 metres from the car park on the dyke to the water!
3rd place: Norderney South
Like all spots in the Wadden Sea, the spots on the south side of Norderney are very much dependent on the tides – with the difference that here, two options complement each other perfectly. Around three hours before and after high tide, the large basin at the marina fills up; whilst it isn’t as smooth as a speed track, it is largely waist-deep and very safe – you can ride here from south-west through east to north. What’s more, the Norderney Surf School provides excellent facilities. Around low tide, the sandbanks on the south side of the channel dry out, though getting there requires local knowledge – it’s best to ask the surf instructors at the centre and under no circumstances set off on your own. What can you expect then? With southerly to south-westerly winds, it’s a shallow-water wonderland – the height of the chop here is comparable to the length of local surfer Bernd Flessner’s hair.
There are moderate chops in the basin; the sandbanks in the mudflats drop off steeply, allowing runs just a few hand-breadths downwind of the sand. A speed, manoeuvre and freestyle course par excellence!
The combination of the ‘surf pool and sandbank’, together with the good wind reliability (45 to 60 per cent) and the wide wind window, is good enough for three stars.
The ten-minute walk through the mudflats, crossing the shipping channel and the tidal current are not for amateur surfers – hence only two stars. The pool, on the other hand, is easy to get to!
2nd place: Neuharlingersiel
Somehow, this top spot in Lower Saxony has been overlooked – and given the conditions there, one wonders: why? Perhaps because many people aren’t even aware of the village’s real gem: Downwind of the harbour’s three-kilometre-long jetty, you can take your freestyle skills to new heights when the wind is from the west. Because it’s deep enough here even for longer fins and the jetty juts far out into the Wadden Sea, speed runs with GPS tracking are also possible. When the wind is from the east, the whole experience is mirrored on the other side. Low tide to half-tide is ideal; at high tide, the waves wash over the jetty and create choppy water. Then you can head over to the main beach at the Windloop surf school, where there’s also a beach bar. When the wind is from the south to south-west, the nearby Jadebusen offers superb alternatives: from the pier at Eckwarderhörne, ambitious freestylers cross several hundred metres through the fairway to the sandbanks that are then exposed to the west. Downwind from there, there’s flat water of the ‘not quite Büsum or Norderney, but pretty good’ variety – though only two hours before and after low tide. And elsewhere? Hooksiel! You can park right next to the spot here, and there’s a campsite and all the facilities you need. W–NW winds are ideal, whilst E–NE winds also work well.
1-a! The Mole does a brilliant job, smoothing out every crease, no matter how small. It’s just that you have to get used to some of the kiters.
A wind window that provides good coverage of the main wind directions – west and east – and, with 30 to 50 per cent of the wind being suitable for gliding over the course of the year, also offers an attractive ratio.
Easy! You can park at the harbour, and the walk is very short compared to other Wadden Sea spots.
1st place: Borkum
Yes, Borkum is an island and isn’t exactly ‘just a hop, skip and a jump’ away. But that means all the downsides are sorted! Unlike many other world-class flat-water spots, you can surf here regardless of the tide and, thanks to the almost circular shape of the ‘lagoon’, in virtually any wind direction, directly downwind of the sandbank. Chops only make an appearance here in minuscule amounts, so you can rapidly take your manoeuvres, speed or freestyle skills to the next level. And because the atmosphere and facilities are top-notch too – accommodation and the surf school are right on the spot – there can only be one winner this time: Borkum!
World-class! And not just for trick riders, but also for freeriding and those looking to improve.
A southerly wind isn’t exactly ideal, but everything else works brilliantly and the wind statistics are truly impressive – 50 per cent in summer, up to 75 per cent in winter – top figures in Germany!
Unlike other spots of a similar standard, the walking involved here is kept to a minimum and takes place on hard sand. Even so, more than three stars would be over the top.
BALTIC SEA
Even away from the surfing hotspots on Fehmarn or the Wieker Bodden on Rügen, there are lesser-known spots on the Baltic Sea where you’re guaranteed to learn. The fact that, unlike the North Sea tidal creeks, these are often still shallow and easily accessible makes them all the better.
5th place: Salzhaff
Once an insider’s tip, the largely shallow Salzhaff near Wismar has become one of the hotspots for windsurfers in eastern Germany. Particularly on the south-eastern shore, in Pepelow, you’re in perfect hands with the usual wind directions from south-west to north, as the wind blows onshore and steadily across the sheltered inland waters. The fact that the water remains fairly calm is primarily down to the shallow depth, though you do have to put up with a few choppy waves. When the wind is from the south to south-east, Rerik on the north-eastern shore is also a good choice; here, too, you don’t have to miss out on shallow waters, a surf school or the charming landscape of the nature reserve.
Moderate chop, plenty of space to stand and good facilities – this is a great spot for trick riders and freeriders alike. As at many other spots, the seaweed can get in the way when you’re speeding along or slaloming in summer.
Many wind directions are suitable for sailing on the Salzhaff; however, its location in Lübeck Bay means that the proportion of days with favourable wind conditions over the course of the year – at between 20 and 40 per cent – is somewhat more modest than on Fehmarn or in the region around Rügen.
Highly recommended without reservation – you can get out onto the water quickly and easily here.
4th place: Saaler Bodden
Separated from the open Baltic Sea by a shallow headland, the Saaler Bodden – which is on average only two metres deep – offers an ideal playground for almost all wind directions. For speed and slalom surfing, however, there is often not quite enough water beneath the fin in the smoothest sections. The spots with the best flat water are Born on the north shore when the wind is from the west through south to south-east, and the Barnstorf headland (south of Wustrow harbour) when the wind is from any southerly direction. Saal on the east shore is best visited when the wind is from the south-west through north-west. At all these spots, apart from a bit of chop, you’ll find a top-notch playground for manoeuvres and freestyle, the charming landscape of the “Vorpommern Bodden Landscape National Park” and huge areas where you can stand up. There are even surf schools on site in Saal, Wustrow and Born – what more could you want?
You have to put up with small chops, but that’s no obstacle for power freestyle. Speed riders and slalom riders would like more draught; seaweed is also an issue here.
Statistics show that 25 to 40 per cent of the wind in the Saaler Bodden is tailwind – but as, in principle, all wind directions are suitable for sailing, and easterly winds are strengthened by local thermals in spring and summer, conditions here often exceed expectations.
No problem! With the exception of Barnstorf, you can park right at the spot at all starting points
3rd place: Maasholm
One of the most beautiful spots on the Baltic Sea is undoubtedly Maasholm. Situated at the mouth of the Schlei, this peninsula catches the wind from almost every direction. On the western side there’s a windsurfing school, where you can practise safely in all westerly winds, sometimes in shallow water. An easterly wind smooths the water to a mirror-like finish here, though it can get quite gusty. If you then head over to the eastern shore, the wind blows onshore and is often strengthened by thermal winds in early summer. Here you have endless space to let your fin fly or pull off a few moves on the water. And what else? A fish stall, car parks and a lovely little village – you can really make yourself at home here!
Apart from a few small ripples, it’s a brilliant shallow-water spot with plenty of room to stand. In summer, a seaweed fin is an absolute must!
Wide wind window (all directions except north) and good glide-to-wind ratio – 40 per cent in summer, up to 60 per cent in late autumn. Surf tip: East winds in spring are usually stronger than forecast!
It only takes a few minutes to get there from Kappeln. You can park right next to the spot – easy!
2nd place: Schaproder Bodden
The shallow Bodden between Rügen and the offshore island of Hiddensee is a paradise for shallow-water enthusiasts. The best launch points are Suhrendorf and Schaprode, where the conditions are almost identical: don’t expect a mirror-smooth speed run for high-speed runs, but the small chop usually remains manageable due to the shallow water and hardly gets in the way of performing tricks or racing through the slalom. Given the fantastic conditions, it’s no wonder that surf schools and surf hostels have set up shop here, so you don’t need to worry about a lack of like-minded people.
A light ripple is the norm; when the wind is from the east, the water can become really smooth. As everywhere else, the seaweed fin is in constant use in summer.
South, west, north and, in some cases, even east – you can sail in all these wind directions here – that’s rare! The figures are good too; statistics show 40 to 60 per cent of the time there’s a downwind breeze. Brilliant!
No problem: you can get to Rügen without taking a ferry, and you can park (and camp) right at the spot.
1st place: Großenbrode
Quite popular amongst freestylers and speed surfers, but visited only sporadically by recreational surfers. A 500-metre-long jetty separates the inland area south of Großenbrode from the open Baltic Sea; a slight bend in the jetty ensures that you can always find the perfect angle for all main wind directions (east and west). With ESE-NE winds, you surf in the basin; with W-WNW winds, on the open Baltic Sea side – but when the wind is fully offshore, the nearest bit of land is 80 kilometres away, so you’d better have your water start and tacking down pat if you want to get out on the water here! On both sides of the pier, the water quickly gets deep enough, so you can go full throttle less than five metres downwind or perform all manner of manoeuvres on the water – surprisingly, the turbulence is kept to a minimum. Caution is only advised in easterly winds and when launching from the inland side, where rusty metal bars at the water’s edge pose a danger to bare surfers’ feet! And what else? On-site parking, a surf school, a café, toilets and a fish stall make Großenbrode a truly top-class spot! Another plus: at least on the offshore side, there’s no seaweed to get in the way!
The benchmark for flat water on the Baltic Sea. At Hack, perhaps the only spot apart from the North Sea tidal creeks for lab-style freestyle and long speed runs at 40 knots plus X.
A wide wind window! You can ride in all directions, from ESE-NE to WSW-WNW. The statistics are impressive too: 30 per cent downwind sailing in summer, 55 per cent in winter – not bad! Surf tip: If the wind isn’t strong enough here, head over to Wulfen!
Easy – almost too easy! Park at the marina, rig up on the grass, walk 200 metres to the water’s edge, and off you go.
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Manuel Vogel
Editor surf
