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De Koog (Paal 17)
North Holland · Texel · De Koog
also known as Paal 17, Texel Paal 17, Strandslag Paal 17
Riding essentials
Season
Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov
Months riders and schools name
How windy
18-22 kt
Character: synoptic
Room to launch
huge
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
18 °C in summer
Hazards
10
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug
Schools
2
named at this spot
From the airport
115 min
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
When it fills in
No fixed daily rhythm: a passing front blows at any hour. On lighter days the wind reportedly builds towards midday and is strongest through the afternoon.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- De Cocksdorp (Vuurtoren)
- Paal 9no page yet
- Paal 12no page yet
- Paal 15no page yet
- Paal 20no page yet
- Paal 28no page yet
The spot
Legal beach
Water and sandbanks
Wind
School and levels
Seasons
The wind
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
NE, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
Average strength
About 14 kt annual mean with 20 kt average gusts at the island station, from observations between 2006 and 2026; all-hours climatology, not a kiteable-wind average.
Typical strength
Sessions here are frontal, not thermal: the useful band starts around 16 kt and 18-22 kt is what most riders wait for, while autumn and winter depressions push into the high twenties and above. The island station's own annual mean is about 14 kt with 20 kt average gusts, but that figure counts every calm hour of the year.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
riding season from the spot record · the wind series here holds no strength figure
No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, and whatever the series does hold is in the table below.
Measured at Texel International Airport, ~8 km from the spot (2009-10-01 to 2016-05-31 (station no longer reporting)).
Every figure, month by monthWind from
| Month | Wind from |
|---|---|
| Jan | SW |
| Feb | SSW |
| Mar | WSW |
| Apr | WNW |
| May | WNW |
| Jun | WNW |
| Jul | W |
| Aug | WSW |
| Sep | W |
| Oct | SSW |
| Nov | SSW |
| Dec | WSW |
How this was measuredmeasured · 2009-10-01 to 2016-05-31 (station no longer reporting)
What was recorded here is in the table above, but it holds no wind-strength figure for any month, so no season is drawn from it. The season is the one the spot record names.
The direction is a column of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
Texel International Airport · windfinder.com · 2009-10-01 to 2016-05-31 (station no longer reporting)
The water
Type
mixed
Standing depth
Mixed and tide-dependent.Around low water a long shallow strip opens up and the zwinnen between the sandbanks run knee to waist deep: that is where lessons happen.From mid tide upward, and anywhere past the outer bank, it is deep North Sea water with surf and current.Treat it as a deep spot unless you have walked the banks at low water yourself.
Tides
Semidiurnal North Sea tide; low water is what opens the shallow zwinnen between the sandbanks, and the banks themselves move over a season. A checked day ran high water +84 cm, low water -69 cm, so roughly 1.5 m of range on an ordinary tide.
Temperature
18 °C summer · 6 °C winter
Wetsuit
A 3/2 in summer and a 4/3 off-season is the usual call; a shorty works on the warmest days and winter wants something thick. Mid-August water runs 16–20 °C, late February 2–8 °C.
Currents
There is current in the surf zone at Paal 17, strong enough that every local safety brief leads with it. How much of it you get depends on the tide, the surf and the weather on the day.
Conditions
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
2 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Sandy launch on a broad beach. From the beach access it is about 200-250 m to the kite area, walking past Ecomare. There are beach pavilions at Paal 17 with toilets and food, plus the Kitesurfschool Texel pavilion.
Rules & access
1 min read
Sport beach zones
Conflicting official readings
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
- Check the 2026 Texel beach zoning and the signs on the sand before you launch: the kiteable strip is set by beach-pole numbers and by buffers around the guarded beaches.
- From Strandslag Paal 17, walk right about 200-250 m past Ecomare to the kite-school area instead of rigging in the pavilion traffic.
- Pick a low-water session for a first go, when the zwinnen between the sandbanks are usable and the outside is furthest away.
- Skip an east wind at Paal 17, because it is offshore. Move to Vuurtoren for NE-SE, Surfstrand for ENE-S or Ceres for E-SSW.
- Rig and ride clear of the dune line on any cross angle, because the wind tumbles over the dunes before it reaches the water.
- Bring enough neoprene outside high summer: a 3/2 in summer, a 4/3 off-season, and February water down at 2-8 C.
- Do not read conditions off the webcam. It sits 4 km south of Paal 17, so confirm on the beach.
- Lifeguards are on the beach in July and August only, 10:00-18:00. Outside that, an incident is your problem and 112.
- Book the Kitesurfschool Texel pavilion ahead if you want a lesson; it is the island's main kite base and the summer weeks fill.
Getting there
Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) for scheduled international flights; Texel Airport (EHTX) is local/general aviation and listed as 15 minutes from Texel spots.
Route
Drive or take public transport to Den Helder, then use the TESO ferry to Texel; the ferry crossing takes about 20 minutes. From the ferry, drive north-west across the island to Ruijslaan / Paal 17 near De Koog and walk onto the beach access, then right toward the kite-school area.
Transfer
115 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Campsites, rental houses and hotels all over the island. De Koog is the closest base to Paal 17.
No-wind days
Ecomare near Paal 17, De Slufter walks, cycling on Texel's path network, forest mountain-bike routes, beach restaurants, Den Burg/De Koog food and bars, and skydiving at Texel Airport.
Photos
FAQ
Is De Koog / Paal 17 suitable for beginners?
Yes with supervision: Kitesurfschool Texel teaches beginners on site, though the spot's official classification is advanced because it is a real North Sea beach with deep water, surf and current.
What is the wind like?
Usable directions are NE, SW, WSW, W, WNW and NW, with east wind offshore and reported to work poorly at this west-coast beach.
When is the best time to go?
March through June and September through November are listed as the best wind months, with April-October as the broader lesson season.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Yes, high-speed beach sports including kitesurfing are limited to designated sport-beach strips such as strandpaal 17.60-18.99, with a required 50 m buffer from guarded swimming zones.
What hazards should riders know?
North Sea surf, shore current and changing sandbar gullies are the main hazards, and conditions shift quickly with the tide.
The bigger pictureEverything about Texel
Last updated: August 2026