Holnis has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
When it fills in
Depression wind arrives with the front and can blow at any hour, day or night. The thermal is the other half of the year's sessions: from May to September the fjord breeze needs sun on the land, tends to fill in from around midday into the early afternoon and fades in the evening, and it often gives a session the regional forecast never showed. That timing is the general Baltic sea-breeze pattern, not a measured Holnis figure.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Depression wind arrives with the front and can blow at any hour, day or night. The thermal is the other half of the year's sessions: from May to September the fjord breeze needs sun on the land, tends to fill in from around midday into the early afternoon and fades in the evening, and it often gives a session the regional forecast never showed. That timing is the general Baltic sea-breeze pattern, not a measured Holnis figure.
Typical strength
The long-term station average (2012-02-01 to 2026-07-31) is about 8 kts with gusts to about 12 kts. Any strength is possible when a depression passes, and no current monthly statistic is published.
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic low-pressure winds with summer east-wind high-pressure periods
Also on record
8
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider the fjord works out at a 12 m on the common 12-16 kt day, a 9 m from roughly 18 kt up, and a 7 m when a depression drives 25 kt or more through the outer Foerde. Below 12 kt it is foil or nothing.Indicative sizes read off the recorded wind range; no local sizing is published.
Direction to shore
Southeast is directly onshore; NNE and SSW are listed as sideshore. SSW through E to NE are described as the best directions, with other directions offshore but still surfable only for riders comfortable with gusty near-shore wind and staying upwind.
Dominant direction
The usual wind is from SW, WSW, W, WNW and NW. Treat it as an east-wind spot: NE, ENE and E are the recommended directions, and it works from ENE through E to SSE.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month63
- Feb, riders' month53
- Mar, riders' month53
- Apr, riders' month53
- May, riders' month45
- Jun, riders' month42
- Jul, riders' month61
- Aug, riders' month27
- Sep, riders' month40
- Oct, riders' month63
- Nov, riders' month57
- Dec, riders' month61
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 63%Jan3°
- 53%Feb4°
- 53%Mar5°
- 53%Apr9°
- 45%May15°
- 42%Jun19°
- 61%Jul20°
- 27%Aug20°
- 40%Sep19°
- 63%Oct13°
- 57%Nov8°
- 61%Dec4°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63% | 81% | 74% | 17.3 kt | SW | 14:00 | 3.9°C | 3.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 53% | 67% | 65% | 15.3 kt | W | 12:00 | 4.9°C | 3.7°C | 57 |
| Mar | 53% | 71% | 69% | 14.6 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 5.3°C | 5.4°C | 62 |
| Apr | 53% | 80% | 75% | 14.4 kt | ESE | 14:00 | 7.6°C | 8.9°C | 60 |
| May | 45% | 66% | 56% | 13.2 kt | ESE | 15:00 | 12.8°C | 14.6°C | 62 |
| Jun | 42% | 60% | 55% | 12.9 kt | W | 15:00 | 15.8°C | 19.3°C | 60 |
| Jul | 61% | 79% | 68% | 15 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 16.9°C | 19.8°C | 62 |
| Aug | 27% | 53% | 44% | 12.5 kt | W | 15:00 | 18.1°C | 19.9°C | 62 |
| Sep | 40% | 70% | 58% | 13.5 kt | ESE | 14:00 | 15.7°C | 18.8°C | 60 |
| Oct | 63% | 81% | 73% | 15.8 kt | WSW | 14:00 | 11.8°C | 12.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 57% | 70% | 65% | 15 kt | SSW | 13:00 | 6.6°C | 8.3°C | 60 |
| Dec | 61% | 77% | 73% | 16.3 kt | SW | 13:00 | 3.9°C | 4°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
Baltic Sea fjord beach with shallow flat water to chop
Standing depth
You can stand for about 80-100 m from the beach, up to about 150 m in places, on a gently shelving sandy bottom.
Tides
The Baltic has no tide worth planning around. Wind is what moves the water here: a spell of strong easterly pushes water up the fjord, the westerly that follows drains it, and the shallow shelf in front of the beach can end up too thin to ride.On a long drive it is worth checking the federal water-level forecast for Flensburg or Langballigau first.
Temperature
17°C summer · 2°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer water runs around 10-18 C in season; high summer can sometimes be shorts and lycra, but normally shorty to full wetsuit; winter riding is possible but very cold.
Currents
No tidal stream and no current measured at the beach itself. Flow in the outer fjord is wind-driven; in practice the wind's effect on water level matters more to a session here than any drift.
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
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: small
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Launch and land at the northern end of the beach, on your left when facing the water, next to the stone mole. Walk out before you ride so you are clear of the shore and the swimmers.
Space
small
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Launch and land only in the northern zone by the stone mole, then walk out to the 50 m line before you put the board on; the buoy line has had no official status since 2017 but the beach still runs on it.
- In July and August the bathing zone south of the school is full of swimmers: give it a wide berth and never drop a kite on the sand.
- Southeast is dead onshore but the least gusty direction; in west-sector wind you are riding offshore and need to be sure of staying upwind.
- From May to September check a live station before driving; the fjord thermal often runs when the regional forecast shows nothing.
- Stay out of the water northeast of the long stone mole, the nature reserve closure zone; it is the fastest way to get the whole spot closed.
- After a long easterly followed by a westerly the shelf can drain: check the Flensburg or Langballigau water level before you commit to the drive.
- The lifeguard watch here covers the bathing season and the swimmers along a 1,500 m stretch. Ride outside that, or outside the season, and self-rescue is the plan.
Getting there
Airport
Hamburg (HAM) is the practical airport; Sonderborg (SGD) is nearer on the map but small.
Route
From Hamburg Airport there is a FlixBus to Flensburg central station, then local bus or taxi to Gluecksburg and on to Holnis.
Transfer
172 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
There is a large campsite on the Holnis peninsula a few metres from the beach; Gluecksburg and Flensburg have plenty of hotels and apartments (1656+ listed near Gluecksburg).
No-wind days
Walk the Holnis peninsula, or SUP and windsurf at Wassersport Holnis; in Gluecksburg there are the castle, the Rosarium, the Menke Planetarium and the artefact Powerpark.
Photos
FAQ
Is it suitable for beginners?
No. The narrow, regulated launch, shore-distance rule, swimmers and a mole make it better suited to intermediate and advanced riders.
What is the wind like?
Southeast is described as the least gusty direction; usual regional wind runs from southwest to northwest, and the spot is often called an east-wind location.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Riders are asked to launch only in the northern zone, stay 50 m from shore and swimmers, and avoid a nature-reserve closure zone northeast of the long stone mole.
What hazards should I know about?
A mole and stone structure, a small launch area, and possible shore break in stronger southeasterly wind.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Wassersport Holnis offers kitesurfing, windsurfing, wingfoiling and SUP courses on the peninsula.
Last updated: August 2026