MapNorwayVigra (Giske), ÅlesundBlindheimsvikaVigra (Giske), Ålesund

Blindheimsvika

Møre og Romsdal · Ålesund - Vigra/Giske · Roald / Ålesund

also known as Blindheimsvik

Part of Vigra (Giske), Ålesund →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlyonshorelow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Aug–Jun

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 kt

Character: synoptic · onshore

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

14 °C in summerA long, shallow bay on the south side of Vigra, with tidal mudflats, beach meadow and mostly shallow sea

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Vigra (AES)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

Frontal wind, so there is no daily onset hour and no thermal to sit and wait for. A system can have it blowing at first light and gone by lunch, or fill in overnight. Plan off the forecast rather than off the clock. No local sea-breeze cycle has been confirmed.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Kvalnesetno page yet
Storevikano page yet
Alnesno page yet

The spot

Blindheimsvika is a shallow bay on the south side of Vigra, a few minutes from Ålesund Airport and part of the same cluster as Blimsanden and Roaldsanden. It is the SW option: best in SW, workable in WSW, SSW and S, and gusty in SSE.

Tide and water depth

The tide runs the launch. Low water opens the beach up, and the incoming tide takes back both the launch and whatever you left sitting on it. You can walk about 250 m out and still be waist-deep, which is why it gets used for teaching, and the water is flat to choppy rather than anything to surf.

Protected habitat

The catch is Blindheimsvik itself: a protected wetland and Ramsar component with tidal mudflats and bird habitat, so confirm current local kite access and stay away from the birds.

Facilities

There are no toilets and no facilities of any kind, which makes it a session spot rather than a beach day.

The wind

Direction

onshore

Dominant direction

Climate normals at Ålesund Airport put south as the most common direction from about 16 August to 11 May, and north from about 11 May to 16 August. At Blindheimsvika itself, SW works best, with WSW, SSW, S and SSE also rideable.

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

9-14 m is the range that covers the Vigra and Giske beaches as a group; nothing size-specific has been published for Blindheimsvika. For a 75-85 kg rider that reads as 12-14 m on a 15 kt day, 10-11 m in the high teens, and 9 m by the mid-twenties.Regional and indicative, and in a bay this shallow the size you can comfortably relaunch matters as much as the size you can hold.

Character

synoptic

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Typical strength

Riding days across the Vigra and Giske beaches run roughly 15-25 kt. That is a figure for the cluster, not a Blindheimsvika measurement. Set against it, the annual mean at the airport is only about 10 kt with a southwest bias, so a fair share of days sit under riding strength and the beach is chosen off the forecast rather than turned up to.

An Atlantic coastal climate with wind all year, strongest in the colder half and stormiest in autumn on SW-W. SSE turns gusty here.

January-June and August-December are the months that blow on this coast. July and August throw up plenty of light days, and autumn brings SW-W storms one after another. Spring runs predominantly N-NE, which suits the other Vigra spots more than Blindheimsvika.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month94
Feb, riders' month94
Mar, riders' month84
Apr, riders' month82
May, riders' month73
Jun, riders' month77
Jul90
Aug, riders' month82
Sep, riders' month79
Oct, riders' month91
Nov, riders' month78
Dec, riders' month87

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

24 ktJan7°
24 ktFeb6°
19 ktMar6°
18 ktApr7°
16 ktMay10°
17 ktJun12°
17 ktJul15°
17 ktAug15°
18 ktSep15°
21 ktOct12°
18 ktNov10°
22 ktDec8°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	94%	24 kt	SSW	4.2 °C	6.8 °C
Feb	94%	24.3 kt	SSW	4 °C	5.8 °C
Mar	84%	18.5 kt	NE	4.2 °C	5.8 °C
Apr	82%	18.3 kt	NE	5.4 °C	6.6 °C
May	73%	16.3 kt	WSW	8.8 °C	9.8 °C
Jun	77%	17.2 kt	SW	11.2 °C	12.4 °C
Jul	90%	17.2 kt	NE	13.4 °C	14.8 °C
Aug	82%	17.4 kt	SW	14.2 °C	15.1 °C
Sep	79%	17.9 kt	NE	12.9 °C	14.5 °C
Oct	91%	21.1 kt	SSW	9.6 °C	12.3 °C
Nov	78%	18 kt	ESE	6.9 °C	10 °C
Dec	87%	21.5 kt	SSW	4 °C	8.1 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

A very shallow tidal bay. You can walk about 250 m out and still be waist-deep.

Tides

A big tidal swing: the low-tide beach is the launch, and the tide can cover gear left on it. The mudflats partly dry at low water.

Temperature

14 °C summer · 6 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 6–15 °C

Wetsuit

5/3 mm is normal for summer and for the rest of the year; 6/5 or 5/5 mm from November to March.

Conditions

A long, shallow bay on the south side of Vigra, with tidal mudflats, beach meadow and mostly shallow sea. The water runs flat to slightly choppy, with about 1 m of chop or wave possible when it blows hard. It is also a bird-protection wetland and Ramsar component, so keep off the sensitive vegetation and away from the birds.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

The long waist-deep stretch makes it safe enough to teach in, but some directions are gusty and rough weather brings about 1 m of chop. Beginners should take local instruction and confirm the nature-protection and airport constraints before riding.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterfoiling

Who it suitsteaching

A small Ålesund and Vigra scene. Blindheimsvika is the direction-specific alternative to Blimsanden and Roaldsanden, not the beach everyone is on.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

There is no rescue service at the beach: no lifeguard, no patrol, no boat, no telephone post. Cover is what you and whoever else is on the water can do, which in cold water and a big tidal range is an argument against riding alone.

Maritime search and rescue in Norway is run by the two Joint Rescue Coordination Centres, reachable direct on 51 51 70 00 for southern Norway and 75 55 90 00 for northern Norway. Whether the local Vigra and Giske kite school runs any water cover for its own lessons is unconfirmed.

Launch

A low-tide sand beach on the south side of Vigra, near the southern end of Ålesund Airport. How much launch space you get depends entirely on the tide, and anything left low on the beach will be covered. No toilets.

Hazards riders report 7 reported

Wind

SSE can be gusty.

Crowds and zones

proximity to Ålesund Airport - check for any marked no-kite zones

Waves and currents

Rapidly changing launch area with tide; gear left on the beach can be flooded.
Close to Ålesund Airport Vigra and partly by the airport safety zone; confirm current local aviation/no-kite boundaries before launching.

Protected areas and rules

Bird-protection/Ramsar wetland with shallow tidal mudflats, nesting/resting/feeding birds and protected bird habitat.

Other

Cold water year-round; winter riding needs thick neoprene and cold-water safety planning.
No toilets or beach facilities reported at Blindheimsvika.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: the Blindheimsvik fuglefredingsområde regulation has been in force since 1988. It protects birdlife, nests and eggs and bird habitat; vegetation valuable to birds must not be damaged, unnecessary disturbance of birds is prohibited, motorized traffic is prohibited except for the stated exceptions, and dogs must be on a leash all year. Traditional outdoor recreation is not itself prevented. The regulation names no watersport among prohibited or permitted activities and sets no seasonal closure window for one, unlike the Jæren wetlands' 1 October-31 March board-sport ban. Non-motorized kiting is therefore not banned in the text and not authorised in it either, so confirm locally before riding, and stay clear of nesting and resting birds and off protected vegetation.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ride the low tide for the launch beach, and put your bag and pump high up; the incoming water covers what you leave low.
Save Blindheimsvika for the SW sector. When the wind sits N or NE, Blimsanden and Roaldsanden are the cleaner call.
Ask the Ålesund kite locals or the school before you ride: this is a bird-protection area and it sits beside the airport safety zone.
Bring full cold-water neoprene even outside winter; summer water averages around 14 C.
Keep dogs on a leash, and keep off the bird-sensitive vegetation and away from resting flocks.
Ask the Alesund kite locals or the school before you ride: this is a bird-protection area and it sits beside the airport safety zone.
Rig for the 15-25 kt the cluster works in, which puts most 75-85 kg riders on 9-12 m.
There is no rescue here of any kind. Ride with someone, and carry a phone you can reach from the water bag.

Getting there

Airport

Ålesund Airport, Vigra (AES)

Route

The spot is on Vigra island near the airport. Buses run from the airport to Ålesund city centre and Moa, and to the Valderøy express boat quay, but getting around the islands and the city without a car is thin work: rent one.

Transfer

A few minutes from Ålesund Airport by car; about 25 minutes airport-to-Ålesund city center by airport bus.

Cost level

high

Staying

Camping at Blimsanden and Roaldsanden in summer, plus Airbnb, cabins and a small hotel on the islands. Ålesund city centre has the hotels, restaurants and nightlife, and is busiest April to September.

No-wind days

The Art Nouveau centre of Ålesund, the fjords, hiking in the Sunnmøre Alps, kayaking, the aquarium, wildlife sea safaris, diving, museums, lighthouses, golf at Giske Golfklubb in summer, and Strandafjellet off-piste or snowkiting in winter.

Photos

FAQ

Is Blindheimsvika suitable for beginners?

A local guide calls it safe for teaching thanks to its long waist-deep area, though gusty directions and up to 1 m of chop can occur in rough weather.

What is the wind like at Blindheimsvika?

SW is the best direction, also workable in WSW, SSW, S and SSE, though SSE can be gusty.

What about tides at Blindheimsvika?

Low tide opens the launch beach, but the incoming tide can cover gear left low on the sand.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

Since 1988, Blindheimsvik has been a protected bird-conservation area where disturbing birds or damaging vegetation is prohibited, so current kite access should be confirmed locally.

The bigger pictureEverything about Ålesund - Vigra/Giske

Last updated: August 2026