Riding essentials
Season
Sep–Oct
Months riders and schools name
How windy
9-11 kt
Character: synoptic
Room to launch
huge
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
19.8 °C in summerOpen Baltic Sea beach with sand launch, chop and small-to-medium waves
Hazards
5
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy June July August
Schools
1
named at this spot
From the airport
Riga International Airport (RIX)
no transfer time published
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Pavilosta
- Liepaja
- Liepaja Karaosta
- Kolkano page yet
- Kolkarags
- Vaide
The spot
Water and waves
Wind patterns
Beach facilities
Zoning rules
The wind
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
WSW, W and NW are the sectors that get ridden; SW and WNW work too. The long-run dominant flow at the airport station is WSW.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Indicative, derived from the wind statistics rather than a local size log: a 75-85 kg rider is on 12-15 m through June, July and August when averages sit near 9-11 kt, 9-12 m for the September and October westerlies, and 7-9 m once a winter depression is through and it is blowing over 25 kt.
Character
synoptic
Average strength
9
Typical strength
Monthly averages sit at 9-11 kt from April to August, 12 kt in September and 11-17 kt from October to March. Days over 12 kt run about 20-22 a month through the summer and 26-30 a month from October to February. Rideable days are common here; warm rideable days are the scarce ones.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan69
- Feb54
- Mar53
- Apr48
- May32
- Jun28
- Jul53
- Aug35
- Sep, riders' month37
- Oct, riders' month60
- Nov53
- Dec61
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Sep, Oct.
- 69%Jan2°
- 54%Feb2°
- 53%Mar3°
- 48%Apr6°
- 32%May12°
- 28%Jun17°
- 53%Jul20°
- 35%Aug21°
- 37%Sep19°
- 60%Oct13°
- 53%Nov9°
- 61%Dec5°
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 | 69% | 84% | 76% | 17.5 kt | SW | 13:00 | 0.2 °C | 2.2 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 54% | 75% | 70% | 15.8 kt | WNW | 13:00 | 1.5 °C | 2.4 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 53% | 73% | 65% | 15.1 kt | SSW | 14:00 | 2.4 °C | 3.3 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 48% | 72% | 67% | 14.4 kt | N | 16:00 | 5.7 °C | 6.1 °C | 60 |
| May | 32% | 56% | 47% | 12 kt | N | 16:00 | 11.5 °C | 11.7 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 28% | 47% | 40% | 11.8 kt | SW | 15:00 | 16.1 °C | 16.7 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 53% | 69% | 65% | 14.9 kt | SW | 14:00 | 17.9 °C | 20.4 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 35% | 66% | 55% | 13.1 kt | SW | 13:00 | 19 °C | 20.9 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 37% | 52% | 43% | 12.7 kt | SW | 14:00 | 15.1 °C | 19.3 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 60% | 73% | 66% | 16.4 kt | SW | 14:00 | 10.1 °C | 13.4 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 53% | 68% | 58% | 16 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 4.7 °C | 8.5 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 61% | 79% | 73% | 17.2 kt | WSW | 11:00 | 1.3 °C | 4.6 °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
Not tide-dependent for kiting; 2026 tide tables show only about 0.00-0.02 m high/low values around Ventspils.
Temperature
19.8 °C summer · 1.2 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 2–21 °C
Wetsuit
Wetsuit needed all year; normal thickness in spring/summer/autumn and thick winter suit in winter.
Currents
Currents and whirlpools are specifically warned near the South Mole; swimming is forbidden about 100 m before the mole and at the mole wall.
Conditions
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: huge
Somewhere else
1 spot nearby
Rescue
Launch
Launch from the designated surfer beach, a roughly 500 m section kept separate from the central bathing area, with equipment on site for preparing, storing and drying gear. The sand is white and fine and the beach is close to 80 m deep, with six numbered boardwalks through the dunes and parking, showers and toilets on the Blue Flag section.The hard part is the entry: getting out through the shore-break roller is what catches less experienced riders here.
Rules & access
1 min read
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
- Rig and ride from the surfer beach zone, never from the 1.2 km central bathing beach.
- Watch for westerly frontal systems: September and October are the months that repeatedly deliver here.
- Give the South Mole a wide berth: the currents there create whirlpools and swimming is forbidden about 100 m before it.
- Bring full cold-water gear even in summer: August water averages around 19-20 C and the Baltic drops close to freezing in late winter.
- In summer, read the signs at the boardwalk entrances before launching and expect swimmer pressure on the beach.
Getting there
Airport
Riga International Airport (RIX)
Route
By car from Riga or from RIX to Ventspils on Latvia's west coast, roughly two and a half hours for the 180-205 km quoted for that run; the drive time is indicative rather than measured. Intercity coaches run the Riga-Ventspils route, and the city beach sits in the Vasarnīcu district south of the port, walkable from the centre.
Cost level
medium
Staying
City beach destination with Ventspils accommodation and tourist infrastructure nearby; no spot-specific kite accommodation is listed.
No-wind days
Ventspils Blue Flag beach facilities, South Pier observation tower, West Coast Surf Club SUP/windsurf/wingfoil/surfskate activities, Ventspils Adventure Park, Livonian Order Castle/city museum, narrow-gauge railway, cycling paths and family beach amenities.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Ventspils?
September and October stand out for stronger westerly systems, though the wind is frontal and forecast-dependent with an annual average of about 9 knots.
Is Ventspils suitable for beginners?
It's listed as suitable for all levels, but open-sea waves, stones and swimmer zoning mean first-timers should get instruction or local supervision.
What is the wind like at Ventspils?
The wind is synoptic and best with westerly depressions, averaging around 9 knots from WSW based on airport data from 2007-2026.
Are there rules at Ventspils?
2024 municipal rules ban kiteboards from the 1.2 km central bathing area, so riders must use the designated surfer beach and stay clear of swimmers.
What hazards are there at Ventspils?
Currents and whirlpools are reported near the South Mole, where swimming is forbidden, and stones are a reported beach risk.
Last updated: August 2026