Makkum
Frisia · IJsselmeer - Workum/Makkum
also known as Holle Poarte, Makkum Beach, IJsselmeer / Makkum, De Holle Poarte
Part of Workum – Makkum, IJsselmeer →
Riding essentials
Season
Oct–Apr
Months riders and schools name
How windy
11-12 kt
Character: synoptic
Room to launch
limited
access rules on record, below
Water
flat
19 °C in summerFreshwater IJsselmeer bay with protected shallow flat water inside and deeper water farther out
Hazards
10
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Oct Nov Mar Apr
Schools
6
named at this spot
From the airport
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Transfer times under Getting there
When it fills in
Frontal wind, not a thermal, so there is no hour when it fills in. It blows when a depression is going through, at any time of day or night, and a session here is planned off the forecast rather than off the clock.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Kornwerderzandno page yet
- Hindeloopenno page yet
- Stavorenno page yet
- Mirnsno page yet
- Lemmerno page yet
The spot
Seasonal rule
Water conditions
Launch and directions
The wind
Direction
Direction to shore
safe wind directions are N, NW, W, SW, S
Dominant direction
Safe directions are N, NW, W, SW, S. The sector quoted locally is S-SW-W-NW.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Indicative, worked out from the IJsselmeer averages rather than from a local survey. A 75-85 kg rider covers most of the October-April season on a 9 m and a 12 m, drops to 7 m behind an autumn or winter front, and wants 14-15 m or a foil on the light days that an 11-12 kt annual mean implies.
Character
synoptic
Typical strength
No station on the kite beach. The two nearest long-run IJsselmeer readings, Stavoren and Molkwerum about 19 and 17 km south, average 11-12 kt across the year with west-southwest dominant, and the permitted October-April window is the windier half of that year. Indicative rather than measured in the bay.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month77
- Feb, riders' month82
- Mar, riders' month66
- Apr, riders' month67
- May54
- Jun60
- Jul68
- Aug49
- Sep46
- Oct, riders' month70
- Nov, riders' month72
- Dec, riders' month67
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.
- 17 ktJan6°
- 17 ktFeb6°
- 13 ktMar7°
- 14 ktApr10°
- 12 ktMay15°
- 12 ktJun18°
- 13 ktJul20°
- 12 ktAug20°
- 12 ktSep19°
- 14 ktOct15°
- 15 ktNov10°
- 15 ktDec7°
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 | 77% | 16.5 kt | SW | 5.1 °C | 5.6 °C |
| Feb | 82% | 17.2 kt | WSW | 6.5 °C | 5.8 °C |
| Mar | 66% | 13.2 kt | SW | 7 °C | 7 °C |
| Apr | 67% | 14.1 kt | SW | 8.8 °C | 9.9 °C |
| May | 54% | 11.8 kt | NNE | 13.3 °C | 14.9 °C |
| Jun | 60% | 12 kt | WSW | 16.2 °C | 18.3 °C |
| Jul | 68% | 12.9 kt | WSW | 17.6 °C | 19.9 °C |
| Aug | 49% | 11.6 kt | WSW | 18.4 °C | 20.3 °C |
| Sep | 46% | 11.7 kt | S | 16.3 °C | 19.2 °C |
| Oct | 70% | 13.6 kt | SSW | 12.8 °C | 14.5 °C |
| Nov | 72% | 15.2 kt | SSW | 8 °C | 10.1 °C |
| Dec | 67% | 15.3 kt | S | 5.6 °C | 6.5 °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
flat
Standing depth
Yes. Shallow flat water inside the bay, where the schools teach and beginners belong, deepening gradually once you leave it; reportedly shallow to about 200 m.
Tides
Minimal/non-tidal inland IJsselmeer conditions; practical water level changes come from lake level and wind setup, not sea tide.
Temperature
19 °C summer · 4 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 6–20 °C
Wetsuit
Makkum is only open to kites from October through April, so plan for cold water: 5/4 to 6/5 mm with boots, hood, gloves in deep winter. October and April can be lighter depending on the day.
Currents
No tidal current. What moves here is traffic, not water: the Makkum-Kornwerderzand fairway runs north of the spot, marked with red and green buoys.
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
6 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: limited
Somewhere else
4 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Designated sand kite zone at the northwestern point of Makkum bay. Do not rig or start anywhere else on the beach. In west wind a normal beach launch is not on, so walk in and drift-launch.
Rules & access
1 min read
Launch zone
Zone boundaries
Constraints
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
- In westerly wind, drift-launch from the water instead of fighting the beach.
- Ask another kiter or a spotcoach for a relaunch assist before you walk out.
- Do not plan a summer trip here. Kornwerderzand covers May-September, and Workum where it is permitted.
- Rig at the northwestern kite zone only, however much more convenient the rest of the beach looks.
- Use the red and green fairway buoys as your northern limit and stay south of them.
- Bring full cold-water gear; every legal kite month here is out of season.
- Watch for windsurfers. This was their beach first and they hold different lines.
Getting there
Airport
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) is the main international airport; Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ) is another regional option with fewer routes.
Route
Come by car with your gear, over the Afsluitdijk and through the Friesland roads to Makkum Beach/Holle Poarte. There is a large free car park behind the pyramid at Camping Holle Poarte, and paid parking at Strandhotel Strandhuys; the other option is to park behind recreation centre De Holle Poarte and walk along the channel.
Transfer
About 1 h 23 min by private transfer from Amsterdam Schiphol to Makkum, traffic dependent.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Beach Resorts Makkum and Holle Poarte put you straight on the beach and boulevard. Makkum village, Workum plus the other southwest Friesland towns add hotels, campsites, holiday rentals.
No-wind days
Windsurfing, wingfoiling, SUP, sailing, the IJsselmeer beach and boulevard restaurants, cycling in southwest Friesland, Makkum village, day trips to Workum and Hindeloopen, and the other winter kite spots at Workum, Mirns, Stavoren, Lemmer, Kornwerderzand.
Photos
FAQ
Is Makkum suitable for beginners?
Yes, NKV describes the inner bay as shallow and used by kite schools and beginners, with the water deepening outside the bay for advanced riders and foiling.
What is the wind like?
N, NW, W, SW and S are the listed safe directions; west wind makes normal beach launching difficult and requires drift-launching from the water.
When is the best time to go?
Kiting is permitted only from October through April, making it a shoulder-season and winter spot rather than a summer destination.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Yes, kiting is limited to the designated zone at the northwestern point of the bay, and riders must stay clear of the nature reserve and the Makkum-Kornwerderzand shipping fairway to the north.
The bigger pictureEverything about IJsselmeer - Workum/Makkum
Last updated: August 2026