Riding essentials
Season
May–Oct
Months riders and schools name
How windy
8-10 kt
Character: synoptic
Room to launch
huge
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
Open Gulf of Riga beach with small-to-medium wind waves
Hazards
5
Reported by riders
Level
Intermediate to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy June July August
Schools
none named here
From the airport
80 min
RIX Riga Airport
When it fills in
There is no daily thermal fill to wait for. The wind is frontal, so it can already be on at first light or arrive mid-afternoon, and the session gets timed off the forecast rather than the clock. Indicative: no local onset pattern is documented.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Saulkrasti
- Skulte/Vārzasno page yet
- Ainažino page yet
The spot
Launch bottom
Wind and seasons
Summer crowds
The wind
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
SW; W-NW also works.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Indicative, read off the wind statistics rather than a local size log: with monthly averages of 8-10 kt in June, July and August, a 75-85 kg rider is on 13-15 m or a foil for most summer days, and 9-12 m when a front lifts it to 18-22 kt.October to April averages 11-16 kt and the stronger blows are 8-10 m weather. No local rider sizes are published for this beach.
Character
synoptic
Average strength
8-16 kt monthly average depending on season: summer averages 8-10 kt, October-April 11-16 kt.
Typical strength
Rideable sessions need roughly 12 kt and up. Monthly averages run 8-10 kt in June-August and 11-16 kt from October to April, with about 16-20 days a month over 12 kt in high summer against 25-30 a month in winter.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan66
- Feb51
- Mar44
- Apr27
- May, riders' month21
- Jun, riders' month27
- Jul, riders' month35
- Aug, riders' month29
- Sep, riders' month30
- Oct, riders' month58
- Nov57
- Dec52
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- 66%Jan1°
- 51%Feb1°
- 44%Mar1°
- 27%Apr5°
- 21%May11°
- 27%Jun17°
- 35%Jul20°
- 29%Aug20°
- 30%Sep19°
- 58%Oct14°
- 57%Nov8°
- 52%Dec4°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
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.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66% | 74% | 69% | 15.1 kt | S | 12:00 | -2.1 °C | 1.3 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 51% | 72% | 60% | 14 kt | S | 12:00 | -0.1 °C | 0.5 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 44% | 60% | 53% | 12.6 kt | S | 11:00 | 1.6 °C | 1.3 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 27% | 50% | 38% | 11.5 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 6.5 °C | 5 °C | 60 |
| May | 21% | 42% | 32% | 10.4 kt | NW | 13:00 | 12.2 °C | 11.4 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 27% | 45% | 40% | 11.1 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 17.2 °C | 17.1 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 35% | 60% | 55% | 12.8 kt | SW | 14:00 | 18.1 °C | 19.9 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 29% | 44% | 37% | 11.7 kt | WNW | 11:00 | 19 °C | 20.1 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 30% | 45% | 35% | 11.2 kt | SSW | 11:00 | 14.4 °C | 19 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 58% | 69% | 63% | 15 kt | S | 12:00 | 8.7 °C | 13.6 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 57% | 67% | 63% | 15.5 kt | SW | 11:00 | 3.3 °C | 8.3 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 52% | 66% | 60% | 14.7 kt | SSW | 13:00 | -0.5 °C | 4.3 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
mixed
Tides
No useful astronomical tide range. What matters is water level: high water rides cleanly, low water puts the shore stones back in play and turns the entry into a stone-picking exercise. Check the level with the wind before you drive.
Temperature
Summer (°C) July-August averages about 18.6–19.3 °C; the broader summer average is about 17.6 °C.
Winter (°C) Winter average about 2.5 °C; February average about 0.6 °C.
Modelled monthly average: 1–20 °C
Wetsuit
Full wetsuit in summer for most riders; thick winter suit/dry suit, hood, gloves and boots outside the warmest months.
Conditions
Your level
not for beginners here
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
5 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Beach launch by/through the Jūrasdzeņi camping area at Tūja, with paid parking and a summer cafe; GPS 57.489581, 24.385368, directly by the Baltic Sea.
Rules & access
1 min read
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Check wind direction and water level together; low water turns the shore stones into a session-killer.
- Launch from the Jūrasdzeņi side for the easiest logistics, and keep clear of the old pier stones.
- Pack booties. You will not know the state of the entry until you are standing in it.
- In July and August treat the beach as shared and set up well away from swimmers and families.
- For foiling, plan to ride out to deeper water instead of working the inside.
- Check the posted beach-sector signs during the 15 May-15 September bathing season.
Getting there
Airport
RIX Riga Airport
Route
Tūja is about 75 km from Riga via the Tallinn highway past Saulkrasti, then the Limbaži road turn. Buses to Tūja take about 1.5 hours and cost less than EUR 4.
Transfer
80 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Several campsites and apartments in Tūja; Jūrasdzeņi and Krimalnieki are the best-known campsites. Jūrasdzeņi has apartments and cabins, caravan areas, tent space, a beach grill bar, and parking for at least 200 cars in 2026.
No-wind days
Beach time, swimming, SUP/boats, cycling, fishing, walking the two piers, visiting nearby red cliffs/old pier remains, and short coastal trips toward Kurmrags lighthouse or Saulkrasti/Salacgrīva.
Photos
FAQ
Is Tūja suitable for beginners?
No, intermediate is the supported minimum because of a rocky variable bottom, water-level sensitivity and open-sea waves, so it is not a default beginner beach.
What is the wind like at Tūja?
Southwest is the main direction, with west and northwest also reported as working, and monthly averages ranging from about 8 knots in July to 16 knots in January and December.
What hazards should riders know about?
Stones and rocky bottom are exposed at low water, there are old pier remains near Jūrasdzeņi, and beach users are present in warm summer weather.
When is the best time to kite at Tūja?
May to October is the practical season, while October-April is windier but requires serious cold-water gear.
Last updated: August 2026