Trip guide

North Sea and Baltic surf trip

From Ostend to Lofoten: piers, wind swell and Cold Hawaii

Most of this coast never sees a real ocean swell. From Belgium to Denmark the waves are mostly short-period wind swell, made by storms crossing the North Sea, and piers, groynes and harbour walls shape the banks. In the Kattegat and the Baltic there is no swell at all until a strong onshore wind has blown for hours. Denmark's Thy is the first stretch with a real surf culture: VisitDenmark counts 31 registered spots in Cold Hawaii, from Agger Tange to Hanstholm. Norway is different again, as Jæren, Stad and Lofoten face the open sea and also get longer Atlantic swell.

This route runs from south to north: from Ostend through Zeeland and Holland, across northern Germany with a short Baltic detour, up Denmark's west coast, by ferry to Sweden, then along Norway's coast from the Skagerrak to Jæren, Stad and Lofoten. Every stop is a spot on the SurfCams map with its forecast.

At a glance

🌡️ Water: About 2–6 °C in winter
In late winter the sea averages about 4–5 °C off Sylt, 2–6 °C off Klitmøller, about 5 °C at Stavanger and only about 2 °C at Varberg. August is the warmest month, at about 16 °C at Stavanger and 18–19 °C off Sylt and Varberg.
🧥 Wetsuit: 5/4 or 6/5 mm, hood, boots, gloves
From autumn to spring, a hooded 5/4 or 6/5 mm wetsuit with boots and gloves everywhere; a 6/5 mm for the Kattegat, the Baltic and Lofoten in winter. A 4/3 mm is enough in late summer in the south.
🌊 Swell: Short wind swell; Atlantic swell in Norway
Surf forecasters say wind swell is much more common than groundswell even at Klitmøller. Jæren gets both wind swell and longer North Atlantic swell, and Stad and Lofoten face the open sea.
🌬️ Wind: Watch the wind as much as the swell
On the west-facing coasts, an easterly or south-easterly is offshore. In the Baltic and the Kattegat, go after a strong onshore wind of about force 5–6 has blown for some hours, and catch the waves as it eases or turns.
👥 Crowds: Quiet, except at a few famous spots
Scheveningen, Wijk aan Zee, Sylt's Brandenburger Strand, Klitmøller, Apelviken and Bore get busy whenever they work. Most other beaches are quiet, or shared with windsurfers and kiters.
🌅 Daylight: ~6 h at Stavanger in December, none in Lofoten
Stavanger gets about six hours of daylight in December. At Leknes in Lofoten the sun stays below the horizon from 9 December to 4 January, and it does not set from 25 May to 17 July.

When to go

Go between October and March. The Surf Atlas puts the best Dutch season from November to March and calls the summers usually flat, and surf forecasters rate December as Klitmøller's most consistent month. Summer can be flat for long spells, even in Thy. In the Baltic and the Kattegat, autumn and winter gales are the only real chance.

Norway has more choice. Fjord Norway says summer suits beginners on Jæren, with less wind and smaller waves, while autumn and winter are for experienced surfers. Board sports are banned in Jæren's bird-protected areas in winter: Fjord Norway gives the dates as 1 October to 31 March, and the county governor's rules start on 1 November.

How it works

Plan around the weather chart, not the calendar. When a storm crosses the North Sea, pick the spot by the wind: piers and harbour walls give shelter, and the banks between groynes move after every storm, so check a few before you paddle out. In the Baltic, watch the wind forecast and be ready to go as a gale eases.

The distances are long, so use the ferries. Sylt is reached by car train from Niebüll or by ferry from Rømø in Denmark. The crossing from Frederikshavn to Gothenburg takes about three and a half hours, and Varberg lies south of Gothenburg. Lofoten is far north of the rest of Norway; many visitors fly to Leknes, about 22 km from Unstad.

Safety

The currents along piers and harbour walls are the main danger in Holland and Belgium. In May 2020, five experienced surfers died at Scheveningen during a storm, when a strong wind along the coast set up a rip current near the harbour pier and an unusual amount of foam covered the sea. Stay out when a strong wind blows along the coast, and keep clear of harbour mouths and shipping channels.

The water is cold enough to be dangerous in winter, especially in the Baltic and the Kattegat. In Norway the best spots are remote and have no lifeguards. Do not surf alone, and in summer keep out of the guarded swimming zones on Dutch and Belgian beaches.

The route

Netherlands and Belgium

Harbour walls, groynes and the wooden poles of Domburg shape short wind-swell waves from Ostend to Scheveningen and IJmuiden.

Germany

St. Peter-Ording and Sylt on the North Sea, and Baltic beaches like Fehmarn that only wake up in a strong onshore gale.

Denmark

Cold Hawaii on the Thy coast, with reefs, piers and beach breaks around Klitmøller, Vorupør and Hanstholm, plus the piers of Hvide Sande further south.

Sweden

Varberg's Apelviken on the Kattegat, the centre of Swedish surfing, which works after strong westerly winds.

Norway

The long beaches of Jæren, the bays of the Stad peninsula and the Arctic points of Lofoten, with the most consistent surf on this route.

16 spots

  1. Oostende – Oosteroever (harbour wall)

    Stop 1

    Oostende · Netherlands and Belgium · Intermediate · Jetty

    Start at the harbour wall east of Ostend, which many Belgian surfers call the best spot in the country. Swell is rare and short here, so come in an autumn storm, and in summer ask the lifeguards or the surf club where you may surf.

  2. Domburg

    Stop 2

    Netherlands and Belgium · Intermediate · Beach break

    On Walcheren in Zeeland, rows of wooden poles in the sea fix the banks and give a hollow right and a long left on a north to north-west swell. Beginners should keep well away from the poles.

  3. Scheveningen – Noord (harbour wall)

    Stop 3

    Scheveningen (The Hague) · Netherlands and Belgium · Intermediate · Jetty

    The centre of Dutch surfing, beside the harbour wall at The Hague, with most of the surf schools. It is crowded whenever it works; stay out when a strong northerly pushes a current out along the wall.

  4. Wijk aan Zee – Noordpier

    Stop 4

    Wijk aan Zee · Netherlands and Belgium · Intermediate · Jetty

    Beside IJmuiden's long north pier, the most consistent spot in the Netherlands. Rips run out along the pier, and the regulars at the main peak expect respect.

  5. St. Peter-Ording

    Stop 5

    Sankt Peter-Ording · Germany · Beginner · Beach break

    Into Germany, on a huge, flat beach on the Eiderstedt peninsula with soft waves for learning. Surf only in the marked water-sports zone and watch the strong side currents.

  6. Fehmarn – Westermarkelsdorf

    Stop 6

    Westermarkelsdorf (Fehmarn) · Germany · Intermediate · Beach break

    A Baltic detour for the days when a westerly gale blows out the North Sea: this corner of Fehmarn is one of the first places in Schleswig-Holstein to get rideable waves. Go once a force 5–6 wind has blown for hours, and share the water with windsurfers and kiters.

  7. Sylt – Brandenburger Strand

    Stop 7

    Westerland (Sylt) · Germany · Intermediate · Beach break

    Germany's best-known surf spot, in Westerland, picks up almost any North Sea swell and works more often than anywhere else in the country. Groynes shape the peaks, and a strong local crew sits at the main one.

  8. Hvide Sande – South Pier

    Stop 8

    Hvide Sande · Denmark · Beginner · Jetty

    Up the Danish coast, the south pier at Hvide Sande, where the area between the piers is kept for surfers and SUP. The piers give shelter in fairly strong wind; watch the rips along them.

  9. Vorupør – Small Pier

    Stop 9

    Nørre Vorupør · Denmark · Intermediate · Jetty

    The landing beach at Nørre Vorupør, where fishing boats are still pulled up on the sand. The pier makes a fun left in many winds, so it is one of the busiest spots in Thy; experts can try the heavy shore break south of the big pier.

  10. Klitmøller Reef

    Stop 10

    Klitmøller · Denmark · Beginner · Reef break

    The heart of Cold Hawaii: a reef of stones and mussel beds in front of the village, an easy wave on most days and the busiest line-up in Denmark. Wear boots, as the mussels are sharp.

  11. Bunkers

    Stop 11

    Klitmøller · Denmark · Intermediate · Reef break

    Denmark's best-known wave, an A-frame over boulders by the wartime bunkers, with a long right. It is crowded on every good forecast, and the locals have waited for these days, so wait your turn.

  12. Apelviken

    Stop 12

    Varberg · Sweden · Beginner · Beach break

    Take the ferry to Gothenburg and drive south to Varberg. Sweden's main surf beach has peaks for all levels after a strong westerly blow, and surf schools and rental on the beach. Currents can be dangerous on windy days.

  13. Saltstein

    Stop 13

    Nevlunghavn (Larvik) · Norway · Intermediate · Reef break

    On the Skagerrak south of Oslo, a boulder reef at the end of the Mølen pebble beach. It needs a solid south-west swell and breaks only a few times a month in autumn and winter, but it has fast, powerful sections. Follow the local surf club's rules.

  14. Bore

    Stop 14

    Klepp · Norway · Beginner · Beach break

    Norway's best-known surf beach, three kilometres of sand on Jæren with peaks for every level on small days. Strong currents run along the beach, so pick a peak away from the rips when it is bigger.

  15. Hoddevik

    Stop 15

    Stad · Norway · Beginner · Beach break

    A kilometre of sand under high mountains on the Stad peninsula, with long, friendly walls and shelter from the wind. Summer suits learners and autumn brings bigger surf; drive the hairpin road slowly.

  16. Unstad

    Stop 16

    Vestvågøy (Lofoten) · Norway · Intermediate · Point break

    End above the Arctic Circle in the Lofoten bay where two Norwegians started surfing in 1963, on home-made boards. The long left and the hollow right are for experienced surfers, the sand peaks for small days; the line-up is small, so don't drop in.

Tips from the line-up

  1. Read the wind forecast as closely as the swell forecast: most waves on this route are made by storms close to the coast.
  2. Use piers and harbour walls for shelter, but stay clear of the rocks and the rips that run along them.
  3. Keep out of harbour mouths and shipping channels, and out of guarded swimming zones in summer.
  4. On Jæren, stay out of the bird-protected areas from October to the end of March, and check the signs.
  5. Bring a hooded 5/4 or 6/5 mm wetsuit, boots and gloves; the Kattegat drops to about 2 °C in winter.
  6. Book the ferries ahead, and plan the long trip north to Lofoten as a flight or a separate leg.

Sources