Map › Germany › Westerland / K4 (Sylt)
North Sea / Baltic Europe: Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Baltics (Lithuania/Latvia/Estonia), Sweden, Norway · Sylt · Northern Friesland · Rantum / Hörnum
Westerland / K4 (Sylt)
also known as K4, Westerland / K4, Sansibar 2, Kilometer 4
Nearby Sylt Hoernum Moewennest under 1 km · Amrum Norddorf 11 km · Foehr Nieblum 16 km · Ellenbogen (Sylt) 29 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Frontal wind with no daily cycle. It arrives with the weather system and holds as long as the system does, at any hour, so this is a forecast spot rather than a be-there-by-two spot. No thermal onset is documented for the west coast.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
fills in: Frontal wind with no daily cycle. It arrives with the weather system and holds as long as the system does, at any hour, so this is a forecast spot rather than a be-there-by-two spot. No thermal onset is documented for the west coast.
Typical strength
No measurement at the spot itself. Indicative from the island stations: the annual mean is around 14 kt with WSW dominant, and the days that make this beach worth the walk are the frontal ones well above that, mostly late summer through November.
Also on record
14
The quiver, in words
Nothing published locally. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, sized off the island wind statistics rather than measured here: 10-12 m on the common 14-18 kt days, 8-9 m around 20-25 kt, 6-7 m once an autumn front is through. Light summer days often sit under the 14 kt average, so the big kite earns its space in the bag.
Direction to shore
West is onshore on the west coast; south and southwest are left cross/cross-on, north and northwest are right cross/cross-on; east is offshore, gusty and dangerous.
Dominant direction
W to WSW is the dominant wind on Sylt; at K4 west-sector wind is the main setup, with north and south sectors also rideable.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan97
- Feb97
- Mar92
- Apr, riders' month95
- May, riders' month90
- Jun, riders' month90
- Jul, riders' month92
- Aug, riders' month91
- Sep, riders' month90
- Oct, riders' month98
- Nov, riders' month98
- Dec97
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 23Jan4°
- 24Feb5°
- 19Mar6°
- 19Apr9°
- 18May13°
- 16Jun17°
- 19Jul19°
- 17Aug19°
- 18Sep19°
- 22Oct14°
- 22Nov10°
- 21Dec6°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 97% | 23 kt | SW | 4.8°C | 4.4°C |
| Feb | 97% | 23.5 kt | WNW | 4.7°C | 4.7°C |
| Mar | 92% | 19 kt | SW | 5.1°C | 5.6°C |
| Apr | 95% | 18.6 kt | ENE | 7.3°C | 8.7°C |
| May | 90% | 17.5 kt | NNW | 11°C | 12.8°C |
| Jun | 90% | 16 kt | WSW | 15°C | 16.6°C |
| Jul | 92% | 18.6 kt | NW | 16.6°C | 18.8°C |
| Aug | 91% | 17 kt | WNW | 18°C | 19.4°C |
| Sep | 90% | 17.8 kt | W | 16.3°C | 18.6°C |
| Oct | 98% | 21.6 kt | SSW | 12.8°C | 13.7°C |
| Nov | 98% | 22.2 kt | SW | 8.7°C | 9.8°C |
| Dec | 97% | 21.4 kt | SE | 5.3°C | 5.9°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 (2020-2024), 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 · 2020-2024
The water
Type
waves
Standing depth
Short. Around low tide the creeks and sandbanks leave shallow, sheltered pockets you can stand in between the deeper channels; on the open beach the bottom drops away and the standing zone is measured in metres, not in a walk out. At higher water it is effectively gone.
Tides
Tide affected. Riding is possible at any tide, but access and the longest, cleanest waves are easiest around low tide; there is no tide restriction.
Temperature
17°C summer · 4°C winter
Wetsuit
Wetsuit needed for most sessions; the April/May to October season is roughly when water temperature crosses 10 C, with colder off-season water.
Currents
Exposed North Sea west-coast current and shorebreak in stronger wind. The Westerland beaches to the north have strong undertow and groynes; at K4 the main issues are the waves and keeping clear of swimmers.
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
4 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Wide beach and a large water area; even in high season there is a lot of space on the water.
Somewhere else
Sylt Hoernum Moewennest, under 1 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Beach launch on the wide sandy west-coast beach at K4, reached from the K4/Möskental parking area by walking over the dunes.
Space
Wide beach and a large water area; even in high season there is a lot of space on the water.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride around low tide: the walk out is easier and the waves are longest and cleanest.
- Keep at least two line lengths from swimmers and school groups; there is no bathing zone, so they can be anywhere along the beach.
- The low-tide flat pockets behind the sandbanks are still open North Sea, not a lagoon; ride them that way.
- Skip east wind entirely: it is offshore and gusty here and nobody is coming to get you.
- Drive south from Westerland on the L24 through Rantum, park at K4/Möskental and walk about 5 minutes over the dunes.
- Drive south from Westerland on the L24 through Rantum, park at K4/Moeskental and walk about 5 minutes over the dunes.
- Unlike the Westerland beaches to the north, this stretch has no groynes, so a downwinder south along the coast is clean.
- Bring someone. No lifeguard watches this beach and there is no bathing zone where help would be stationed.
Getting there
Airport
Sylt Airport (GWT), with Hamburg Airport (HAM) as a larger mainland option
Route
Reach Sylt by train to Westerland, by car train over the Hindenburgdamm from Niebüll, by ferry from Rømø to List, or by plane. For K4, drive south from Westerland on the L24 through Rantum toward Hörnum, park at the K4/Möskental area, then walk about 5 minutes over the dunes.
Transfer
25 min
Cost level
high
Staying
Apartments, hotels, campsites and youth hostels are available across Sylt; K4 is a remote beach access rather than an accommodation center.
No-wind days
Surfing on Sylt's west coast, SUP in calmer areas, cycling, beach walks, lighthouses at Ellenbogen, Rantum Basin, Morsum Kliff, List harbor and the Erlebniszentrum Naturgewalten.
Photos
FAQ
Is K4 suitable for beginners?
No, it is described as a wave spot for advanced and experienced riders, with an exposed west-coast setup and no lifeguarded bathing zone.
What is the wind like at K4?
West-sector wind is the main usable direction and is onshore, while east wind is offshore and reported as gusty and dangerous.
Does tide matter at K4?
Riding is possible at any tide, but access and the longest, cleanest waves are easier around low tide.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Kiteschule Sylt, Surfhouse Sylt, Duotone Pro Center Sylt and Rückenwind Kitesurf operate on Sylt.
Last updated: August 2026