Texel – Paal 17

De Koog (Texel) · Netherlands and Belgium · Netherlands

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Texel – Paal 17 (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/texel-paal-17.

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Paal 17 is a beach on the long west coast of Texel, south of De Koog, named after beach marker 17. Low stone groynes cut the beach into sections, and the sandbanks between them shape fairly clean peaks. Local guides count it among the better waves on the island, with lefts and rights over sand.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Some company
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A longboard or a thick fish for most days; a shortboard only after a real storm swell.

When it works

✓ A north-west swell of 1 m or more with a south-east or east wind, around mid to high tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Strong westerly winds, and flat summer weeks when no storm is near the North Sea.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents

Best months

January, February, March, April, October, November, December

Local tips

The groynes slow the long-shore current, so pick a section between two of them and stay there. Check the wind: an east or south-east breeze is offshore here. The North Sea is about 5–7 °C in winter: a 5/4 wetsuit with boots, gloves and a hood.

Getting there

Follow the Westerslag road out of Den Burg towards the coast and walk over the dune at beach marker 17.

Travel notes

How often it works
Texel sits further north than the mainland beaches and catches north-west wind swell well, but like all Dutch spots it needs a storm in the North Sea. Summer is often flat for weeks.
Crowd and vibe
Usually quiet; a few surfers on weekdays and a few more at weekends.
Camping and vans
Camping De Zilvermeeuw is about 1 km away, and Camping De Razende Bol about 2 km. Nearest campsite about 1 km away.
Facilities
A beach pavilion stands at the dune entrance in season. De Koog, a few kilometres north, has shops, surf rental and cafés.
Water quality
The EU bathing-water site Bleekersvallei, next to Paal 17 is rated excellent for 2025 in the European Environment Agency data. It was also excellent in 2023 and 2024.

Ideal conditions

Swell
WNW–NNW best, WSW–NNE works
Size
1.2–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3 m
Period
5 s minimum, best from 8 s
Wind
Offshore ENE–SSE; handles onshore up to 15 km/h
Tide
mid, high best
Faces
WNW (296°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

Nearby spots

All spots in Netherlands and Belgium · All spots

Sources