Hamresanden has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
On the clock
14:00 · 17:00
Frontal wind, so it can be on at any hour and there is no dependable daily cycle to plan around. Sunny days add a modest sea-breeze lift in the afternoon, with the day's peak usually falling between 14:00 and 17:00. Modelled pattern rather than a beach log.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Frontal wind, so it can be on at any hour and there is no dependable daily cycle to plan around. Sunny days add a modest sea-breeze lift in the afternoon, with the day's peak usually falling between 14:00 and 17:00. Modelled pattern rather than a beach log.
Typical strength
Most rideable days sit somewhere around 12-18 knots. Twenty knots and over is an October-to-March thing, arriving with a front rather than with the sun; June and August are the thinnest months of the year. Roughly a third to a half of afternoons reach 12 knots depending on the month. Indicative, from modelled offshore data rather than a beach anemometer.
Also on record
7-15
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider a 12 m covers the ordinary S/SSW day. Carry a 14-15 m for the light summer afternoons and a 9-10 m for the autumn and winter fronts. Indicative, worked from the wind range rather than from rider reports here.
Direction to shore
S/SSW is the clean sector. Winds past WSW or SE go gusty, and NW is generally too gusty.
Dominant direction
S and SSW are both the best and main directions.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month58
- Feb, riders' month54
- Mar, riders' month51
- Apr, riders' month46
- May40
- Jun37
- Jul40
- Aug30
- Sep36
- Oct, riders' month58
- Nov, riders' month64
- Dec, riders' month54
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 13Jan5°
- 13Feb5°
- 11Mar4°
- 11Apr6°
- 10May12°
- 10Jun16°
- 10Jul16°
- 10Aug17°
- 10Sep17°
- 13Oct14°
- 12Nov10°
- 12Dec7°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58% | 12.9 kt | WSW | 0.9°C | 5.1°C |
| Feb | 54% | 12.5 kt | W | 2.5°C | 5.1°C |
| Mar | 51% | 10.8 kt | NE | 3°C | 4°C |
| Apr | 46% | 10.8 kt | NE | 5.9°C | 6.1°C |
| May | 40% | 10.2 kt | ENE | 11.8°C | 11.5°C |
| Jun | 37% | 10 kt | SW | 15°C | 15.7°C |
| Jul | 40% | 10.3 kt | W | 15.5°C | 16.1°C |
| Aug | 30% | 9.9 kt | WSW | 15.7°C | 17.3°C |
| Sep | 36% | 10 kt | NE | 13.6°C | 16.5°C |
| Oct | 58% | 12.6 kt | WSW | 9.1°C | 13.6°C |
| Nov | 64% | 12.4 kt | NNE | 4.8°C | 9.7°C |
| Dec | 54% | 12.1 kt | NNE | 1.2°C | 7°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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. 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
flat/chop
Standing depth
Shallow a long way out, then a sudden drop-off. It is described locally as langgrunt.
Tides
Tide independent.
Temperature
17.4°C summer · 4.3°C winter
Wetsuit
Thin wetsuit or a shorty in summer, a full suit on cooler days, and a thick winter suit for cold-season sessions.
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: good
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Park by the camping area and the gate, then walk about five minutes to the tip closest to the bridge and launch there. A grass rigging area sits behind the sand.The access gate is normally kept closed and is opened only when a local club member has borrowed the key for the day, so check with the local kite club in advance, or be ready to park outside the gate and walk in.
Space
good
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride it on clean S or SSW; do not force WSW, SE or NW.
- Wear booties if you plan to walk upwind, because the shells, small stones and rocks are the reason people cut their feet here.
- Treat the airport light-post line as a hard no-go boundary, every session.
- Expect campers and swimmers in June, July and August, and pick a launch with real downwind room.
- Ask Sørkite about the gate routine before counting on driving in: the access gate stays closed unless a club member has borrowed the key that day.
- Do not wait for an afternoon thermal. The wind here arrives with the weather, so take the window the forecast gives you.
- Nobody is watching the water. Tell someone your plan, and in the cold months bring a buddy rather than a phone.
Getting there
Airport
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik (KRS), immediately east/northeast of the beach area.
Route
Drive out of Kristiansand toward Kjevik airport and the beach appears after about 15 minutes. Enter the camping area, park by the locked gate and walk the trail to the launch. The beach is on or near National Road 41, about 10 km from downtown Kristiansand.
Transfer
15 min
Cost level
high
Staying
Campsite pitches and an apartment hotel and resort at the beach itself; Kristiansand city has the wider choice of hotels and restaurants.
No-wind days
Kristiansand city, Bystranda and Aquarama, the zoo and amusement park, Sørlandssenteret, the museums, coastal walks, swimming, diving and the rest of the south-coast day trips.
Photos
FAQ
Is Hamresanden suitable for beginners?
Sources disagree; one calls it Kristiansand's best beginner spot, another rates it intermediate to expert, so conditions and wind direction matter.
What is the wind like at Hamresanden?
S and SSW form the clean wind sector; directions past WSW or SE, and NW, tend to be gusty or on-and-off.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
As of 2026, kitesurfers must stay clear of the airplane landing area marked by light posts in the water near Kristiansand Airport.
What are the hazards at Hamresanden?
Rocks and shells on the beach can cut feet, and the shallow water drops off suddenly after a long, gradual shelf.
Last updated: August 2026