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Vivesholm

also known as Tjurudden, Gotland / Vivesholm

flat waterbeginner-friendlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Vivesholm has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

SeasonApr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Octthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25 ktsynoptic LaunchSmall: about 15 riders fit without getting in each other's way.access rules on record, below Waterflat18.5°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools1named at this spot From the airport35 minVisby Airport (VBY)

On the clock

14:00 · 15:00

No thermal cycle worth planning around. Wind runs with the passing system, day and night; modelled hourly data give only a small afternoon lift, about 6.9 kt overnight against 8.3 kt at 14:00-15:00 in the summer half. Autumn and winter systems arrive on their own schedule and are often already in at first light.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Vivesholm sits about 1 km northwest of Klintehamn harbour on the west side of Gotland, and the Gotland riders mostly call it Tjurudden. There is no sand. You rig on grass and step over a few metres of pebbles into the bay.

In S to W the low peninsula flattens the water and the shallow bay stays smooth, which is the whole reason to drive down. The same shape turns the good directions offshore-ish, and large rocks sit in the water on the north and east side of the bay, so the south side of the peninsula is left alone by everyone who knows it.

Reserve rules close the place to kitesurfing from 15 March through 30 June, which takes out the whole spring. Late summer and early autumn are the window, with the water around 18.5 C and weather systems still crossing. Rescue, currents, kite sizes: all unconfirmed, so ride it with someone who has done the entry before.

The wind

Direction

offshorewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

5678910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: No thermal cycle worth planning around. Wind runs with the passing system, day and night; modelled hourly data give only a small afternoon lift, about 6.9 kt overnight against 8.3 kt at 14:00-15:00 in the summer half. Autumn and winter systems arrive on their own schedule and are often already in at first light.

Typical strength

Autumn and winter systems give 15-25 kt. Late summer sits nearer 10-16 kt and often never reaches planing wind at all. In modelled hourly data 19-28% of daytime hours reach 12 kt from October through February, against 5-9% in May, June and August. The strong quadrant is SW to W, which is also the flat-water one. Indicative, no station on the peninsula.

steady to gusty depending on passing weather systems

The reserve is closed to kitesurfing from 15 March to 30 June, which takes out spring outright: April, May and June are not rideable here whatever the forecast. The legal window is 1 July to 14 March.

July is the quiet month for wind, August and September are moderate, and it comes back properly from October through February, when hours at or above 12 kt roughly double against midsummer. No trades and no sea breeze here: it blows when a weather system crosses Europe. Monthly figures are modelled for the coordinates, not measured on the peninsula.

The quiver, in words

For 75-85 kg the autumn and winter systems are 7-10 m weather, with a 12 m for the marginal days and a 14 m or a foil for summer afternoons that never get past 12 kt. The windiest months here are the cold ones, so size the kite and the suit together.Indicative, derived from the wind range and not from anything measured locally.

Direction to shore

S-W gives the flat-water setup, and the low peninsula can make the riding area feel offshore or lee-flat in exactly those directions.

Dominant direction

S-W for the best flat-water setup

Forecast

Month by month

Jan71
Feb60
Mar41
Apr, riders' month38
May, riders' month23
Jun, riders' month28
Jul45
Aug, riders' month24
Sep, riders' month32
Oct, riders' month57
Nov40
Dec55

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.

14Jan3°
13Feb2°
11Mar3°
11Apr5°
9May12°
9Jun18°
11Jul20°
10Aug20°
10Sep18°
12Oct12°
11Nov7°
12Dec4°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	71%	13.7 kt	WSW	1.1°C	2.6°C
Feb	60%	12.7 kt	SW	1.7°C	2.2°C
Mar	41%	10.7 kt	SW	2.5°C	2.8°C
Apr	38%	10.6 kt	WSW	5.5°C	5.3°C
May	23%	9.4 kt	SW	11.7°C	11.9°C
Jun	28%	9.3 kt	SW	16.3°C	17.8°C
Jul	45%	10.6 kt	WSW	17.5°C	20.1°C
Aug	24%	9.7 kt	SW	18.3°C	20.2°C
Sep	32%	9.7 kt	S	14.7°C	18.2°C
Oct	57%	12.1 kt	SW	10.1°C	11.7°C
Nov	40%	10.7 kt	SW	4.9°C	7.2°C
Dec	55%	11.9 kt	SW	1.8°C	4.2°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

flat

Standing depth

Shallow in a large part of the bay.

Tides

Baltic tidal range is minimal, and no usable tide forecast exists for the spot.

Temperature

18.5°C summer · 3.9°C winter

Wetsuit

Drysuit to shorty depending on season; off-season is possible only with a drysuit. Klintehamn averages about 17.8-18.5 C in July-August and about 2.6-5.6 C in winter months.

2–20°C water

Sandy bottom with seaweed farther out; scattered large rocks on the north and east side of the bay.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The listing covers beginner, intermediate, expert ability, but the closed season, the rocks, the pebbly entry and the offshore-style flat water mean an independent beginner should check the day with locals first.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreeridefreestylelow-crowd sessions

A handful of Gotland regulars, limited space, and reserve etiquette taken seriously.

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: Small: about 15 riders fit without getting in each other's way.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

Nothing on the spot: no lifeguard, no club boat, no facilities, and a rural coastline with nobody watching. Emergencies are 112, sea rescue coordinated from the joint rescue centre in Gothenburg. The nearest volunteer sea-rescue stations on the island are Visby to the north and Vändburg in the far south; there is none at Klintehamn.

Ride with someone who knows the entry, and treat the rocks on the north and east side of the bay as the thing that turns a swim into an injury.

Launch

No beach at all: set up and launch on the grass fields, then walk a few metres of pebbles into the water.

Space

Small: about 15 riders fit without getting in each other's way.

Hazards riders report 8

Open coast: it turns choppy as the wind builds.
Rural coastline with no facilities.
Kitesurfing is prohibited between 15 March and 30 June in the Vivesholm nature reserve
Scattered large rocks in the water on the north and east side of the bay
South side of the peninsula is not recommended because of large rocks on shore and in the water
No sandy beach: grass setup and a pebbly walk into the water.
Low peninsula creates offshore/lee-flat conditions in the best wind directions
Nature reserve rules also ban open fire, unleashed dogs and driving motor vehicles off designated roads

Rules & access

2016/2026: Vivesholm has been a nature reserve since 2016, about 100 hectares of coastal meadow on the peninsula northwest of Klintehamn. The reserve regulations prohibit kitesurfing between 15 March and 30 June, open fires, dogs off the lead, and motor vehicles anywhere but the designated road.

Organised competitions, collecting plants or animals and disturbing wildlife need the county board's permission first. The island's kite association publishes the same closed period in its spot list.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Do not kite between 15 March and 30 June: the reserve is closed to kitesurfing.
Walk the pebble entry and mark the big rocks before you pump.
Stay off the south side of the peninsula; rocks on the shore and rocks in the water.
Check the Gotland kite association wind meters and the local Telegram updates before the drive down.
The windy months are October to February. The spring you might plan for is the closed season.
Nothing here answers a call for help. Nearest sea-rescue boats are at Visby and Vändburg.

Getting there

Airport

Visby Airport (VBY)

Route

Ferries reach Visby from Nynäshamn or Oskarshamn in about three hours, and flights from the mainland can be as short as 30 minutes. From Visby drive south on road 140 toward Klintehamn; the reserve is about 1 km northwest of the harbour.

Transfer

35 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Base in Visby, Tofta, Klintehamn or a rural west-coast rental. Summer ferries and beds go early, so book both.

No-wind days

Visby old town, the Gotland beaches, cycling, SUP, plus the other coastal reserves.

Photos

Vivesholm nature reserve, closest candidate at 54m — Bene Riobó / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

sunset at Vivesholm, on-site water view — Ainali / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

boat on the water at Vivesholm — Bene Riobó / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Vivesholm?

Best periods are April-June and August-October, since the spot depends on passing weather systems rather than predictable trades, and July is usually less windy.

Is Vivesholm suitable for beginners?

One source lists beginner, intermediate and expert ability, but the restricted season, rocks and pebbly water entry mean independent beginners should verify conditions with locals first.

Are there rules to know about?

Kitesurfing is prohibited from 15 March to 30 June under 2016 nature-reserve rules protecting Vivesholm, which also ban open fires, unleashed dogs and off-road vehicles.

What is the launch like?

There is no sandy beach; riders set up on grass and walk over a few metres of pebbles into the water, with one source estimating room for about 15 riders.

What are the hazards?

Scattered large rocks on the north and east side of the bay, with the south side of the peninsula not recommended because of rocks on shore and in the water.

Last updated: August 2026