Map › Germany › Neuharlingersiel & Schillig › Neuharlingersiel
Nordsee (Schleswig-Holstein e Niedersachsen) · Ostfriesland, Niedersachsen · Landkreis Wittmund
Neuharlingersiel
also known as Neuharlingersiel Windloop, Neuharle
Nearby Schillig 22 km · Norddeich 37 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
The tide sets the session here, not the clock. The kite window runs about 3.5 hours either side of high water, so it walks roughly an hour later each day and lands at dawn one week and after work the next. The wind itself is frontal and can blow at any hour; from June to August an afternoon thermal often adds a few knots the forecast did not carry.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: The tide sets the session here, not the clock. The kite window runs about 3.5 hours either side of high water, so it walks roughly an hour later each day and lands at dawn one week and after work the next. The wind itself is frontal and can blow at any hour; from June to August an afternoon thermal often adds a few knots the forecast did not carry.
Typical strength
12-25
Thermal or synoptic
mostly synoptic; summer local thermal can add wind
Also on record
10
The quiver, in words
Most sessions fall in the 12-25 knot band, which for a 75-85 kg rider means 11-13 m at the light end, 9-10 m at 18-22 knots and 7-9 m above that. Indicative sizing, not a local survey.Ostfriesland runs from near-calm to over 40 knots, so leave nothing at home that you can carry, and expect the foilers to get the light hours and the deep high-water hours that the twin-tips lose.
Direction to shore
The beach faces generally north over the Wadden Sea, so N is onshore, W and E are sideshore, and S is offshore; this is inferred from the mapped shoreline and launch coordinates.
Dominant direction
Preferred directions run from WSW through north to east. The annual average at Neuharlingersiel is W at 10 kt, which tells you the good days come with fronts.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan92
- Feb72
- Mar, riders' month73
- Apr, riders' month67
- May, riders' month55
- Jun, riders' month43
- Jul69
- Aug44
- Sep, riders' month53
- Oct, riders' month76
- Nov, riders' month75
- Dec81
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 92%Jan5°
- 72%Feb5°
- 73%Mar6°
- 67%Apr9°
- 55%May14°
- 43%Jun17°
- 69%Jul19°
- 44%Aug20°
- 53%Sep19°
- 76%Oct14°
- 75%Nov10°
- 81%Dec6°
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 | 92% | 98% | 98% | 21.6 kt | WSW | 11:00 | 4.7°C | 4.6°C | 62 |
| Feb | 72% | 82% | 79% | 18.4 kt | WSW | 11:00 | 6°C | 5.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 73% | 85% | 81% | 17.5 kt | WSW | 11:00 | 6.4°C | 6.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 67% | 85% | 77% | 17.1 kt | ENE | 12:00 | 8.5°C | 9.2°C | 60 |
| May | 55% | 71% | 68% | 14.5 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 13.1°C | 13.8°C | 62 |
| Jun | 43% | 80% | 70% | 14.4 kt | NE | 16:00 | 15.7°C | 17.3°C | 60 |
| Jul | 69% | 85% | 82% | 17.6 kt | SW | 15:00 | 17.3°C | 19.4°C | 62 |
| Aug | 44% | 65% | 56% | 14.8 kt | W | 15:00 | 18.5°C | 20.2°C | 62 |
| Sep | 53% | 67% | 65% | 15.1 kt | SW | 12:00 | 16.1°C | 19.1°C | 60 |
| Oct | 76% | 87% | 82% | 18.2 kt | SSW | 12:00 | 12.5°C | 14.1°C | 62 |
| Nov | 75% | 85% | 82% | 19.6 kt | SSW | 13:00 | 7.4°C | 9.8°C | 60 |
| Dec | 81% | 92% | 89% | 20.7 kt | SW | 14:00 | 4.9°C | 5.9°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
tidal flat / channel edge
Standing depth
Sold as a big standing-depth training area with plenty of room, and it is for part of the tide, but it is deeper than the neighbouring Wadden Sea spots and you lose the bottom around high water.
Tides
Tide-dependent Wadden Sea spot. The designated kite/wingsurf zone under the 2023 Nordsee-Befahrensverordnung is usable from 3.5 hours before to 3.5 hours after high water. Before 2023 the informal window was about 3 hours either side of high water, stretched to 4 hours when the wind suited.
Temperature
17.4°C summer · 4.9°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer Wadden Sea water gets shorty-warm on hot days, but a 4/3 full suit is the standard and spring and autumn need at least 5 mm. Winter means cold-water neoprene with hood, gloves and boots.
Currents
Tidal current, plus the ferry channel edge close by. In west wind riders use the fairway; only a few ferries a day pass through (2020).
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: large
Somewhere else
Schillig, 22 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
VHF 16
Launch
Launch from the beach and camping area at Windloop, right by the Neuharlingersiel strand behind the dike. The station sits directly on the beach and the kite meadow is the entry area.
Space
large
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ask at Windloop or read the beach signs for the current kite-zone limits before you rig.
- Plan around high water, but do not count on standing at high water; the bottom goes.
- Stay out of the bathing zone and give the ferry fairway a wide berth.
- Bring booties; the walk over the flats at the low-water margins is mud.
- Foil here only if you know the depth and the ferry timing.
- The station's own rescue boat will fish you out if you go down at high water, and it costs nothing, but only while the station is open.
- Put 124 124 in your phone; it is the German sea-emergency line from a mobile.
- Two or three ferries a day pass through the channel: stop, let the skipper see you, then carry on.
Getting there
Airport
Bremen Airport (BRE) is the nearest larger airport commonly used for this part of Ostfriesland.
Route
Nearest rail stations are Sande, Jever, Wittmund and Esens, with local buses on to Neuharlingersiel. By car from the east or south: A1/A28/A29 toward Wilhelmshaven, then B210 toward Jever and Wittmund and on toward Carolinensiel and Neuharlingersiel.
Transfer
81 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Nordsee-Camping Neuharlingersiel sits right beside the spot. Windloop runs a kitecamp and glamping, and the village has hotels, holiday flats and guesthouses.
No-wind days
Neuharlingersiel harbour and fishing-village walks · Beachbar at Windloop · SUP or windsurfing with Windloop when conditions fit · Cycling and walking along the coast · BadeWerk spa/sauna · Boat trips toward Spiekeroog or local cutter tours · Urlauberbus day trips along the East Frisian coast
Photos
FAQ
Is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. The on-site Windloop school and shallow-water periods support lessons, though riders should time sessions with the tide and channel traffic in mind.
What is the wind like?
Best directions run from WSW through north to east, with typical wind around 12-25 knots and best months March-June and September-November.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Kiting is limited to designated zones under the Wadden Sea national park regulation, and the bathing zone is off-limits.
What hazards should I know about?
Ferry traffic in the channel, loss of standing depth around high water, and a long muddy walk if the tide timing is wrong.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Windloop Kite- und Windsurfschule operates on the beach at Nordsee-Camping Neuharlingersiel.
Last updated: August 2026