Vitsand has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
When it fills in
There is no daily cycle to wait for. The wind is frontal, so it can be up at six in the morning and gone by noon, or arrive with a system in the middle of the night. You ride the window the weather gives you rather than a sea breeze that switches on after lunch.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
fills in: There is no daily cycle to wait for. The wind is frontal, so it can be up at six in the morning and gone by noon, or arrive with a system in the middle of the night. You ride the window the weather gives you rather than a sea breeze that switches on after lunch.
Typical strength
Modelled monthly means for this stretch of coast run about 9-10 kt from May to August and 14-17 kt from October to March, so the strong months and the warm months are not the same ones. The days worth the drive are the 15-25 kt easterlies. Indicative figures from an area model, not a local rider log.
Also on record
Monthly averages quoted for Gotland Vitsand run from about 9 kt in July to 17 kt in January, February, December. They come off a 4 Bft wind-day model rather than local rider logs.
The quiver, in words
Indicative, no local log. For 75-85 kg: 12 m on a 15 kt day, 9-10 m at 20-25 kt, 7 m when an autumn easterly gets past 28. Chop rather than swell, so a board you can hold down matters more than kite range.
Direction to shore
Onshore to cross-on in NE, E or SE on this east-facing Baltic beach. N and S are more cross-shore.
Dominant direction
The main regional winds are S, SSW, SW, WSW, W. Vitsand itself wants NE or SE, and works anywhere from N round to SE.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan76
- Feb66
- Mar49
- Apr, riders' month53
- May, riders' month39
- Jun, riders' month26
- Jul39
- Aug, riders' month32
- Sep, riders' month39
- Oct, riders' month71
- Nov54
- Dec67
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- 15Jan3°
- 13Feb2°
- 12Mar3°
- 12Apr5°
- 10May12°
- 10Jun17°
- 11Jul20°
- 10Aug19°
- 11Sep18°
- 13Oct12°
- 12Nov8°
- 13Dec5°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76% | 14.5 kt | WSW | 1.1°C | 2.5°C |
| Feb | 66% | 13.3 kt | SSW | 1.7°C | 2°C |
| Mar | 49% | 11.7 kt | SW | 2.7°C | 2.9°C |
| Apr | 53% | 11.8 kt | NNE | 5.3°C | 5.3°C |
| May | 39% | 10.2 kt | E | 11.3°C | 11.6°C |
| Jun | 26% | 9.8 kt | WSW | 16.4°C | 17.3°C |
| Jul | 39% | 10.7 kt | WSW | 18°C | 19.6°C |
| Aug | 32% | 10.3 kt | S | 18.6°C | 19.4°C |
| Sep | 39% | 10.6 kt | N | 14.8°C | 18.2°C |
| Oct | 71% | 13 kt | SW | 10.2°C | 12.4°C |
| Nov | 54% | 11.9 kt | SW | 5.3°C | 8°C |
| Dec | 67% | 12.6 kt | WSW | 1.9°C | 4.6°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
mixed
Standing depth
A big part of the bay is shallow, over a sandy bottom.
Tides
Tide independent for riding; Baltic tide effect is weak compared with weather-driven water-level changes.
Temperature
18.3°C summer · 2.6°C winter
Wetsuit
April water sits around 5-10 C and summer goes above 20 C in a warm spell, so protection runs from a drysuit off-season to a shorty or full suit in summer. Gotland sea-temperature tables give an August average about 18.3 C and a February average about 2.6 C.
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
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: medium
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
A medium-size sandy beach about 1 km long, wide, white, with parking, toilets, a shower and food.
Space
medium
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Watch for NE, E or SE in the forecast; Vitsand is not used often because summer easterlies are relatively rare.
- Discount July forecasts for wind strength here, since July is usually the least windy month.
- Expect bathers from June to August and rig with a wider public-beach buffer than you would use off-season.
- Bring cold-water protection outside high summer; April water is reported around 5-10 C.
- Ride within walking distance of the sand. Help on this coast is measured in tens of kilometres, and the shallow bottom is the thing that will actually get you home.
- Check the posted signs at the parking area: bird protection areas on Gotland carry seasonal access bans and are marked on site rather than in any national list.
- The island's kite school runs its lessons on other beaches, so do not count on finding anyone here to land your kite.
Getting there
Airport
Visby Airport (VBY)
Route
Fly or take the ferry to Visby, then drive east across the island. Vitsand is about 38 km from Visby and roughly 10 km south of Slite, right beside Åminne. Park at the beach and walk the last short stretch to the sand.
Transfer
40 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Åminne is an east-Gotland beach area with camping, cabins or cottages, a restaurant, a pool, a cafe, a kiosk.
No-wind days
The Åminne beach facilities in summer, a look around Slite, the rest of Gotland's beaches, medieval Visby and the east-coast nature areas.
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Vitsand?
The best periods are April-June and August-October; July is usually less windy, and the spot depends on passing weather systems rather than predictable trades.
Is Vitsand suitable for beginners?
One listing calls it beginner-friendly because of shallow, flat, choppy water, but other sources are more conservative and list it as intermediate or advanced, so inexperienced riders should verify local conditions.
What is the wind like?
Vitsand works best in northeast to southeast wind, which is comparatively rare in summer; monthly averages range from about 9 knots in July to 17 knots in winter months.
What are the hazards?
The beach is exposed and rural with limited facilities and rescue, cold Baltic water outside high summer, and waves that build in strong easterly wind.
Last updated: August 2026