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Saulkrasti / Koklītes

also known as Koklītes, Koklites, Koklītes / Zvejniekciems

choppyadvanced onlyhigh crowds
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Nearby Lilaste 13 km · Tūja 22 km · Vecāķi 31 km · Ķīšezers 34 km · Daugavgrīva 36 km · Vitrupe 38 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Septhe months riders and schools nameHow windy8 ktsynopticLaunchlimitedaccess rules on record, belowWaterchop/small waves18°C in summer · 6 things riders flagLevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level sectionSchools3named at this spotFrom the airport70 minRiga International Airport (RIX)

When it fills in

No daily cycle. The wind here is frontal: it arrives and leaves with the weather system, holds through the night as readily as the afternoon, and the session comes off the forecast rather than off a time of day.

Koklītes is the Zvejniekciems launch on the east side of the Gulf of Riga, about 4 km north of Saulkrasti centre. Of the four named Saulkrasti spots this is the one marked for experienced riders only: a rocky beach 30 m wide, many stones in the shore zone, 2 m of water about 70 m out with waves on top.
Wind is synoptic Baltic weather rather than a daily cycle, and the useful sector spans west through north, with south-west also working depending on which sub-spot you pick. Infrastructure is better than at most wild Latvian beaches: paid parking about 5 m from the sand, a cafe and bar, a volleyball court, jet skis in summer. It gets busy.
Season is May to September for water you can stand, and there is no lifeguard and no kite rescue, so plan on self-rescue or a friend. If you are learning, ride Saulkrasti Jūras priede or book an instructor instead. Kiting inside the Centrs bathing area in central Saulkrasti carries a fine, but that 800 m stretch does not reach Koklītes.

The wind

Direction

beachwater
wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: No daily cycle. The wind here is frontal: it arrives and leaves with the weather system, holds through the night as readily as the afternoon, and the session comes off the forecast rather than off a time of day.

Typical strength

Monthly average wind speeds for Koklītes range from about 8 kt in June-August to 16 kt in January/December; average wind is also given as around 6 m/s.

Forecast-dependent Baltic/Gulf of Riga wind, with many 12+ kt windy days outside midsummer; the practical warm-water visitor season is late spring to early autumn.
The best months given for Koklītes are May-September. January-March and October-December carry more wind, and colder water and air with it.

Also on record

12

The quiver, in words

No local table is published. Koklites works on the days that blow rather than on the monthly average, and for 75-85 kg that means a 12 m at the 12-15 kt bottom end, a 9 m through the common 18-22 kt, a 7 m when a front pushes it past 25. Indicative from the wind range, not a measured local quiver.

Direction to shore

The sector that works at Koklītes runs from south round through west to north-north-west, and all of it is cross-on to onshore at this launch. Straight north is the gap; that is when the sandy Jūras priede launch further south works instead. An easterly is offshore over the land behind the beach.

Dominant direction

S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW all appear for this stretch; the short summary is N/W/SW.

Forecast

Next three days, from Windfinder · full forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan69
  2. Feb65
  3. Mar46
  4. Apr39
  5. May, riders' month37
  6. Jun, riders' month23
  7. Jul, riders' month33
  8. Aug, riders' month33
  9. Sep, riders' month28
  10. Oct54
  11. Nov42
  12. Dec49

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

  1. 13Jan1°
  2. 13Feb0°
  3. 11Mar1°
  4. 11Apr5°
  5. 10May11°
  6. 9Jun17°
  7. 10Jul20°
  8. 10Aug20°
  9. 9Sep19°
  10. 12Oct13°
  11. 11Nov8°
  12. 11Dec4°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan69%13.4 ktSSW-2.1°C1.1°C
Feb65%12.7 ktW0°C0.4°C
Mar46%10.6 ktSE1.9°C1.3°C
Apr39%10.9 ktNNE6.7°C5.1°C
May37%10.1 ktNW12.2°C11.4°C
Jun23%9 ktWSW17.2°C17.4°C
Jul33%10 ktW18.2°C20.1°C
Aug33%9.5 ktSE19.1°C20.2°C
Sep28%9.2 ktSSE14.6°C19.1°C
Oct54%12 ktWSW8.8°C13.4°C
Nov42%10.9 ktSW3.1°C8.1°C
Dec49%11.3 ktSE-0.7°C4.1°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

chop/small waves

Standing depth

2 m of water about 70 m from shore, deeper beyond that. No standing-depth teaching area is confirmed.

Tides

Minimal practical tide. Koklītes is not a tide-dependent spot.

Temperature

18°C summer · 2°C winter

Wetsuit

Full wetsuit is normal outside the warmest summer days; winter/spring riding needs cold-water gear.

0–20°C water
Koklītes is an open Gulf of Riga sea beach with stones in the water/shore zone, a relatively narrow rocky beach, and larger waves compared with easier Saulkrasti sub-spots.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced
Koklītes is not the beginner beach the seed record made it look. It is flagged for experienced riders only because of the stones in the shore zone: a rocky 30 m beach, big waves, and a lot of kiters when it works. Other Saulkrasti sub-spots suit instruction better.

The scene

What riders come here for

beginnerflat waterfreeridewave ridingexperienced riderswater-sports events
Established Saulkrasti/Zvejniekciems water-sports hangout with cafe infrastructure and many riders when it works, plus summer beach visitors.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: limited

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Lilaste, 13 km

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No kite rescue. A summer rescue service covers the Saulkrasti bathing beaches, but Koklītes in Zvejniekciems is not a declared bathing place under the municipal rules, so cover there cannot be assumed; the supervision written into the bylaw applies to the declared 'Centrs' beach, watched by the municipal police during the bathing season. Plan on self-rescue or a friend on the beach.

Launch

Beach launch by the Koklītes seaside sport/recreation/bar area in Zvejniekciems, about 4 km from Saulkrasti centre. Paid parking is about 5 m from the beach, with a cafe, volleyball court and jet skis.

Space

limited

Hazards riders report 6

  • busy summer beach crowds close to Riga
  • Many stones in the water and along the shore zone.
  • Large waves at times; chop and small waves the rest of the time.
  • Crowded launch, heavy traffic, a lot of kiters on the water when it works.
  • Narrow/rocky beach compared with other Saulkrasti sub-spots.
  • Cold Gulf of Riga water outside peak summer.
Rules & access
2026: Saulkrasti municipal binding rules SN 7/2023, adopted 31.05.2023 and in force from 31.08.2023, prohibit surfing and kiting inside the official 'Centrs' bathing-area territory, an 800 m stretch of central Saulkrasti beach running from the footbridge over the Pēterupe river opposite Zvaigžņu iela to the road by the sea opposite Bīriņu iela, with a warning or a fine of two to fifty penalty units for a breach. The same bathing area is divided into marked active-recreation and quiet zones, and safety on the water and the shore there is supervised by the Saulkrasti municipal police during the bathing season. Koklītes/Zvejniekciems is not named as a bathing place under the bylaw, so this particular prohibition does not extend there; the active-recreation zoning marked on the Saulkrasti beaches still applies where it is signed. No Koklītes-specific kitesurf permit or zone was found.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

  • Walk the entry and mark the stones before you rig, especially at low water or after a storm.
  • If you are still learning, use Saulkrasti Jūras priede or take a lesson rather than launching at Koklītes.
  • Match the sub-spot to the direction; Elvi, Kolors, Koklītes, Jūras priede do not work in the same wind.
  • Park in the paid lot about 5 m from the beach and rig clear of the volleyball court and the jet-ski traffic.
  • Bring a full suit even in August; the Gulf of Riga read 17 C at the Riga beaches on 2026-08-27.
  • Do not kite inside the Centrs bathing area in Saulkrasti: the 800 m stretch from the Pēterupe footbridge to the road opposite Bīriņu Street carries a fine.
  • Koklītes takes wind from south round through west to north-north-west. On a straight northerly go to Jūras priede instead.
  • Match the sub-spot to the direction; Elvi, Kolors, Koklītes and Jūras priede do not work in the same wind, and Elvi is the only one of the four without stones.
  • Rig clear of the volleyball court and the jet-ski traffic; the strip of beach is about 30 m wide and it fills up.
  • Do not kite inside the Centrs bathing area in Saulkrasti: the 800 m stretch from the Pēterupe footbridge to the road opposite Bīriņu Street carries a fine of two to fifty penalty units.

Getting there

Airport

Riga International Airport (RIX)

Route

Drive north-east from Riga on the A1 coast road toward Saulkrasti/Zvejniekciems. Public transport is possible by Riga-Saulkrasti train, then local bus/taxi; 1188.lv lists Saulkrasti-Koklītes local buses taking about 6 minutes over 4 km.

Transfer

70 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Stay in Saulkrasti/Zvejniekciems guesthouses, apartments or camping-style coast accommodation, or base in Riga for more choice.

No-wind days

Saulkrasti 17 km beach · White Dune / Baltā kāpa · Sunset Trail · Saulkrasti cafes and beach bars · Riga day trip

Photos

Only candidate actually showing the beach at Saulkrasti
Егор Журавлёв from Smarde, Latvia / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Koklītes suitable for beginners?

No, local guidance says Koklītes is only for experienced riders because of many stones in the shore zone, despite an older listing treating it as a beginner lesson spot.

What is the wind like at Koklītes?

Local guides list wind from the south through northwest sectors, with monthly averages of about 8-16 knots, weaker in June-August and stronger in winter.

Are there rules at Koklītes?

Since 2023, Saulkrasti municipal rules prohibit surfing and kiting inside the official bathing-area territory and can apply a fine, though it is not confirmed whether this covers Koklītes itself.

What hazards should riders know about?

Many stones are reported in the water and shore zone, the beach is narrow and rocky, and it can get crowded with kiters when conditions work.

Also in season in MayCape KolkaPāvilostaRigaBaltic coastLiepāja
More waves places in LatviaRagaciems

Last updated: August 2026