Map › Germany › Neuharlingersiel & Schillig › Schillig
Nordsee (Schleswig-Holstein e Niedersachsen) · Wangerland, Niedersachsen · Horumersiel-Schillig
Schillig
also known as Badestrand Schillig, Kitesurfzone Schillig
Nearby Neuharlingersiel 22 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No daily onset hour. The wind is synoptic and blows around the clock when the system is in, so the tide sets your window rather than the clock. From June to August local thermal often adds more wind than the forecast promised.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: No daily onset hour. The wind is synoptic and blows around the clock when the system is in, so the tide sets your window rather than the clock. From June to August local thermal often adds more wind than the forecast promised.
Typical strength
12-25
Thermal or synoptic
mostly synoptic; summer local thermal can add wind
The quiver, in words
No local size table is published and the standing advice is to leave nothing at home: Ostfriesland runs from almost calm to over 40 kt, with most rideable days between 12 and 25 kt.For a 75-85 kg rider that works out as a 12 m at the 12-16 kt end, a 9 m through the high teens and low twenties, a 7 m once it is over 25, and something near 5-6 m on the days that top 40. Indicative, mapped from the documented wind range rather than from local practice.
Direction to shore
The kite area faces northeast, so NE is onshore, N and E cross-on, NW and SE sideshore to cross-shore, and S offshore to cross-off depending on the exact beach curve.
Dominant direction
N, NE, E, SE and S are the ideal directions for the kite zone; the NE-facing spot works from NW through E to SSO. Schillig is especially useful on east and south wind days.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan85
- Feb70
- Mar, riders' month71
- Apr, riders' month63
- May, riders' month56
- Jun, riders' month57
- Jul69
- Aug50
- Sep, riders' month55
- Oct, riders' month77
- Nov, riders' month80
- Dec84
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.
- 85%Jan4°
- 70%Feb5°
- 71%Mar6°
- 63%Apr9°
- 56%May15°
- 57%Jun18°
- 69%Jul20°
- 50%Aug20°
- 55%Sep19°
- 77%Oct14°
- 80%Nov9°
- 84%Dec5°
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 | 85% | 98% | 97% | 21 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 4.6°C | 4.2°C | 62 |
| Feb | 70% | 84% | 82% | 18.2 kt | W | 11:00 | 5.9°C | 4.8°C | 57 |
| Mar | 71% | 87% | 79% | 17.6 kt | SW | 10:00 | 6.4°C | 6.1°C | 62 |
| Apr | 63% | 88% | 82% | 17.2 kt | SSE | 13:00 | 8.5°C | 9.4°C | 60 |
| May | 56% | 81% | 71% | 15.3 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 13.1°C | 14.5°C | 62 |
| Jun | 57% | 80% | 75% | 14.8 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 15.7°C | 18.1°C | 60 |
| Jul | 69% | 89% | 81% | 16.8 kt | SW | 14:00 | 17.2°C | 19.9°C | 62 |
| Aug | 50% | 73% | 61% | 14.7 kt | NW | 14:00 | 18.4°C | 20.4°C | 62 |
| Sep | 55% | 72% | 63% | 15.3 kt | SW | 10:00 | 16°C | 19.1°C | 60 |
| Oct | 77% | 87% | 84% | 18.3 kt | WNW | 11:00 | 12.5°C | 13.8°C | 62 |
| Nov | 80% | 88% | 87% | 19.6 kt | SW | 13:00 | 7.3°C | 9.3°C | 60 |
| Dec | 84% | 90% | 87% | 20.7 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 4.8°C | 5.2°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
Standing depth
A huge standing-depth area covers about two thirds of the kite zone. There is little mud, and even at high water riders can reportedly stand about 1 km offshore.
Tides
Tide-dependent Wadden Sea spot. It works best about 3 hours before and after high water; a corridor to the Watt edge can allow tide-independent riding when water depth and wind direction suit.
Temperature
17.7°C summer · 4.8°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer Wadden Sea water can be warm enough for a shorty on hot days, but a 4/3 full suit is standard and you want at least 5 mm neoprene in spring and autumn. Winter needs full cold-water gear.
Currents
Tidal current is part of the Wadden Sea setting; no Schillig-specific current strength is published.
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
Neuharlingersiel, 22 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Rig on the large kite/drachen meadow, then carry through the small dunes to the sandy beach. Inexperienced kiters should carry the kite in hand and launch only at the beach rather than on the busy meadow.
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
- Read the kite-zone signs at the beach and ask at the school if the boundary or the tide corridor is unclear.
- Carry the kite in hand through the dunes and launch on the sand when the meadow is full of family kites.
- Plan sessions on the window 3 hours either side of high water; only push out to the Wattkante if someone local confirms there is water.
- Do not cross into the National Park zones outside the kite area; the penalties are real and so is the access risk.
- On a sunny summer east-wind day, arrive early: meadow and beach both fill up.
Getting there
Airport
Bremen Airport (BRE) is the nearest larger airport commonly used for Wangerland; Hamburg Airport is a farther major alternative.
Route
By train, go to Wilhelmshaven or Jever and continue by bus. By car from the south or east take the A1/A28 or A1/A29 toward Wilhelmshaven, leave the A29 at exit 4 Fedderwarden, then follow the L810/K331/K325 or the signs toward Hooksiel, Horumersiel and Schillig.
Transfer
About 1 h 9 min by car from Bremen Airport to Wangerland; about 3 h 25 min by public transport via Oldenburg, Wilhelmshaven and Jever.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Schillig and Horumersiel have campsites, holiday apartments and hotels. There is camping right at the spot, and the school rents a few small caravans next to its station.
No-wind days
Beach and dunes at Schillig · SUP, windsurfing or wingfoil with Nordsee Surfschule when suitable · Cycling through Wangerland · Trips to Horumersiel or Hooksiel · Watt walks and Wadden Sea nature activities · Wangerland local bus/Urlauberbus excursions
Photos
FAQ
Is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. The sandy standing-depth area and on-site school make Schillig one of the more beginner-friendly Wadden Sea spots.
What is the wind like?
N, NE, E, SE and S are listed as ideal directions, with typical speeds around 12-25 knots.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Kiting is limited to designated Wadden Sea national park zones, with the best local window about three hours before and after high water.
What hazards should I know about?
A crowded rigging meadow shared with other flying gear, National Park boundaries, and water that dries earlier than at deeper neighbouring spots.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Nordsee Surfschule Schillig offers kitesurfing, windsurfing and wingfoil lessons at the beach.
Last updated: August 2026