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Svētciems

Limbažu novads · North Vidzeme coast · Salacgrīva

also known as Rakari Camping beach, Rakari, Kosishi

Part of Baltic coast →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlylow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

May–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

14-16 kt

Character: synoptic

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

Sea water, sand beach, no tide dependence, waves ranging from nothing to small chop

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy June July August

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

100 min

Riga International Airport (RIX)

When it fills in

Synoptic Gulf of Riga wind with no thermal fill-in: it runs with the weather system across the whole day rather than switching on in the afternoon. The stronger months are the cold ones, so the drive is decided by the forecast rather than by the hour.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Kosishialso a name for this spot
Salacgrīva beachno page yet
Saulkrasti

The spot

Svētciems is a quiet stretch of the North Vidzeme coast, and the access riders use is Rakari Camping beach. The beach faces west into the Gulf of Riga, so west wind is straight onshore and NW or SW come in cross-on. The shore zone is shallow, which is why the spot gets used for first tricks and lessons; the flat water sits either left of the beach or about 500 m to the right, and you have to go and find it rather than assume the whole frontage is smooth. The beach itself is narrow sand, with chop or small waves once you are out.

Seasonality and wind

Season is May to October in practice, though the monthly averages sit at 8-10 kt through the summer and 14-16 kt in the cold months, so the warm season is the light season.

Amenities and temperature considerations

Rakari gives you parking, toilets, power, tables, a campground, a 200 m walk to the water. What catches people out is the temperature: upwelling can drop Gulf water from 17.3 C to 7.4 C, which is what happened at Mērsrags. The coast here is partly protected, so keep off the dunes and the vegetation.

The wind

Direction

cross-onW/NW/SW

Direction to shore

cross-on

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, read off the monthly averages rather than from a local rider: 12 m is the working kite through the May to October season, when averages sit at 8-10 kt, with 15 m or a light-wind kite for the flattest summer days.From November to March the averages run 14-16 kt and 9 m covers most of it.No local rider or school publishes sizes for this beach.

Character

synoptic

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Monthly averages Jan-Dec: 16, 15, 14, 11, 9, 9, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16 kt.

Typical strength

May-Oct riding season: monthly averages of 9, 9, 8, 9, 10, 12 kt; cold-season averages run 14-16 kt from Nov to Mar.

Forecast-driven Baltic/Gulf of Riga wind. One description calls it a calm place with stable wind; against that, there is no wind-direction data for the spot and the summer averages are lower than the cold-season ones.

The season runs May to October. Oct-Apr is rated 'great' for wind and May-Sep only 'ok', so the better wind sits in the months that need serious cold-water gear.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan88
Feb78
Mar57
Apr61
May, riders' month49
Jun, riders' month44
Jul, riders' month60
Aug, riders' month42
Sep, riders' month44
Oct, riders' month74
Nov59
Dec67

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

16 ktJan1°
15 ktFeb0°
13 ktMar1°
13 ktApr5°
11 ktMay12°
11 ktJun18°
12 ktJul20°
11 ktAug21°
11 ktSep19°
15 ktOct13°
13 ktNov8°
13 ktDec4°

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	88%	16.2 kt	SSW	-2.2 °C	1 °C
Feb	78%	15.3 kt	W	-0.1 °C	0.4 °C
Mar	57%	12.6 kt	SW	1.4 °C	1.2 °C
Apr	61%	12.8 kt	ENE	6.1 °C	5 °C
May	49%	11.3 kt	WNW	11.8 °C	12.2 °C
Jun	44%	10.8 kt	W	16.9 °C	17.9 °C
Jul	60%	11.7 kt	WSW	18 °C	20.4 °C
Aug	42%	10.9 kt	W	18.9 °C	20.5 °C
Sep	44%	11 kt	S	14.4 °C	19 °C
Oct	74%	14.7 kt	WSW	8.7 °C	12.9 °C
Nov	59%	13.1 kt	SW	3.3 °C	7.7 °C
Dec	67%	13.3 kt	SW	-0.5 °C	3.8 °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

The nearshore zone is shallow enough to stand in and gets used for first tricks, which is why the spot is put forward for teaching. Nobody publishes how far the shallow runs out from shore, and no survey of rocks or obstacles in that zone exists. There is no tide to change it.

Tides

No tide dependence reported for Rakari Camping beach by local listings.

Temperature

Summer (°C) Gulf of Riga proxy: about 17–19 °C average summer/August water, with warm spells and coastal upwelling causing large short-term swings.

Winter (°C) Gulf of Riga proxy: about 1–2 °C in the coldest winter period; the gulf can freeze in winter.

Modelled monthly average: 0–21 °C

Wetsuit

Cold-water Baltic spot: a full suit is the summer minimum, and spring, autumn, winter all need proper cold-water gear. Local norms are unconfirmed.

Conditions

Sea water, sand beach, no tide dependence, waves ranging from nothing to small chop. Flat water is either left of the beach or about 500 m to the right; a second description puts the flat on the right with the waves farther out to the left. The shore zone is shallow enough for first tricks.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Svētciems is put forward for freeride, freestyle, lessons, and the Rakari Camping beach rider level is given as all. Other descriptions are more conservative and call it an intermediate spot.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestyleinstructionfreerideflat waterquiet sessions

Crowd runs from none to reasonable, and the Svētupe area is low-use compared with the major beaches. Expect a quiet rural launch rather than a kite centre.

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

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

3 spots nearby

All 3 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

+371 67323103 +371 26664447

Rescue — full text1 min read

No lifeguard station, rescue boat or organized kite rescue at Svētciems or Rakari; the only official record of the place is a 2016 national coastal infrastructure plan that rated emergency-service access here as sufficient.

Sea emergencies go to 112, or to MRCC Riga, the Naval Forces coast guard coordination centre, on 115 or +371 67323103.

The nearest people on site are at Rakari Resort, +371 26664447.

Launch

Beach launch from the Svētciems/Rakari access: a narrow sandy beach at Rakari Camping beach, 200 m on foot from the campground, with WC, power, tables. Rakari has a broad paid parking area and easy access.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no kite-specific zoning, permit, corridor or seasonal ban is published for Svētciems or Rakari beach. What applies is the national coastal dune protection belt, where it is prohibited to drive, stop or park motor vehicles off made roads without written permission from the local government, to fence off access to the sea or obstruct pedestrians, to place caravans, temporary or folding structures outside designated areas, and to alter the ground or damage the natural topsoil.

Access

The Rakari beach car park is paid, EUR 2-3 in 2026, and the walk to the water runs through the campground, so the site's own territory rules apply on the way down.

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

Check the Rakari and Svetciems Beach forecasts before you drive, then check the water when you arrive.
Hunt for the flat pockets: left of the beach, or about 500 m to the right. The rest of the frontage chops up.
Bring cold-water neoprene outside high summer; upwelling can take the Gulf from 17.3 C to 7.4 C.
Park in the Rakari lot, EUR 2-3 in 2026, and use the 200 m path instead of cutting across the dunes.
Ask at Rakari before launching; no kite zoning is published, so keep clear of swimmers and walkers.
Stock up before you come. Services stop at Rakari and Salacgrīva.
Driving or parking off the made road inside the coastal protection belt needs written permission from the municipality, so leave the car in the lot.
Nobody is watching this water. Save 112 and MRCC Riga on 115 or +371 67323103, and tell someone at Rakari you are going out.

Getting there

Airport

Riga International Airport (RIX); Pärnu Airport is closer by straight-line distance on some hotel listings but is not Latvia's main international gateway.

Route

Drive north from Riga on the Via Baltica/A1 toward Salacgrīva, then take the Rakari/Svētciems beach access. Riga to Svētciems is around 97 km by road, and a direct bus from Riga takes about 2 hours.

Transfer

100 min

Cost level

Low to medium. Rakari beach parking is EUR 2-3 in 2026, and an indicative basic camping rate of EUR 19 for 2026 is quoted, not a guaranteed booking price.

Staying

Rakari Resort at Svētciems has guest-house rooms, holiday houses, camping and tent places, parking, a restaurant/bar, recreation facilities. It is a spacious campsite near the Baltic Sea coast.

No-wind days

Walk the Svētupe mouth and village beach, cycle EuroVelo 13, visit the Vidzeme rocky seashore/Veczemju cliffs area, bird-watch in nearby coastal nature areas, or use Rakari Resort facilities.

Photos

FAQ

Is Svētciems suitable for beginners?

Yes, it is listed for freeride, freestyle and instruction, and Rakari Camping beach marks rider level as suitable for all, though other sources are more conservative and suggest intermediate riders.

What is the wind like at Svētciems?

The main directions are W, NW and SW, with monthly averages around 8-12 knots from May to October and stronger 14-16 knot averages November to March.

When is the best time to kite at Svētciems?

May to October is the practical riding season, though October-April rates higher for wind, those months require cold-water judgment.

Are there kite schools near Svētciems?

No dedicated local school was verified; the nearest IKO-certified school is Vējā in Engure.

The bigger pictureEverything about Baltic coast

Last updated: August 2026