The report · Sylt · Kite · December · 6 pages

WindChaserSpot report

Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Sylt

KiteDecember

82% of December days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.

01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month windp202The month's own recordsp303Full stays, schools & kitp404Per-launch tide windowsp405Groynes, currents & the national parkp506Getting there, packing & best monthsp507Sources, and their limitsp6
Guide
Compiled by WindChaser
25 Sep 2026Record
2017 to 2026, hourly
Open-Meteo, ECMWF IFS HRES 9 kmNormals
2017 to 2026
Nine Decembers
Sylt · Kite · December · Generated 22 Oct 2026 from the 2017 to 2026 record1 of 6
01

Hour-by-hour & month-by-month wind

Rideable-day share by month, all three sports

Share of days with three or more daylight hours over each sport's threshold, counted from the record at 12 kt, Windsurf 13 kt and Wing 12 kt. List auf Sylt has been checked against the model at 12 kn only, so the 13 kn Windsurf figure is counted but not checked against it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecKite848375707572767272848282Windsurf807770636962716568797576Wing848375707572767272848282

Blue fill scales with the share. Selected month outlined. Threshold per row: Kite 12 kt · Windsurf 13 kt · Wing 12 kt.

Where the wind sits, December

Share of daylight hours in each speed band, blue above the threshold.

4–7
8–11
12–15
16–19
20–23
24–27
28–31

Not drawn: 2% of daylight hours under 4 kt and 1% at 32 kt and over.

When in the day, December

Share of days over 12 kt at each daylight hour.

8am
9
10
11
12pm
1pm
2
3
4
5
6pm
Wind directionAnyThe west coast from north round to south; the Wadden side, Königshafen and Möwennest, in the easterlies.
Wind strength18 to 19 ktThe mean over rideable daylight hours, October to February, corrected against the List auf Sylt station.
When it blowsAll dayThe share of windy days barely moves from 8am to 6pm in the record.

Rideable hours, not all hours. Every wind figure in this report is the mean over hours above the threshold.

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02

December's own records

The month's own figures from nine Decembers in the record, 2017 to 2026. Not the year's average.

Rideable days26 of 31Nine Decembers in the record
Strongest measured gust100 ktDecember 1999, DWD List auf Sylt station, 6.5 km away. Thirty-one Decembers measured, 1995 to 2025. Station, not the beach.
Wind, rideable hours18 ktMean over daylight hours at 12 kt+
Air5.9°CMaximum
Hours over 12 kt10.0 a dayDaylight, all days averaged
BeforeNovember82%25 rideable days in 30
Your monthDecember82%26 rideable days in 31
AfterJanuary84%26 rideable days in 31

What the percentage hides. A month at 80% can be twenty-four steady days or three windy weeks broken by a dead front.

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03

Full stays, schools & kit

Stays

Jugendherberge List-MövenbergHostel · KönigshafenYouth hostel at Mövenberg in the north of the island, with 413 beds, about 2.6 km from Königshafen and 14.9 km from Brandenburger Strand.
Hotel MiramarHotel · 500 m to Brandenburger StrandBeachfront hotel on the Westerland promenade with direct beach access, about 500 m south of Brandenburger Strand, the World Cup beach.
Campingplatz WesterlandCampsite · 2 km to Brandenburger StrandDune campsite 50 m from the west beach with its own beach access and winter camping. Surfhouse Sylt is based on the site.
Jugendherberge WesterlandHostel · 3.5 km to Brandenburger StrandYouth hostel in the dunes south of Westerland, a short boardwalk from the beach, with full board available. On Kiteschule Sylt’s list.
Campingplatz RantumCampsite · RantumFour-star campsite on the Rantum basin behind the west beach, with motorhome places and some pitches open all year for self-sufficient vans.
Hotel Strand am Königshafen$$$Hotel · KönigshafenWaterfront hotel on Königshafen bay in List, with Jan’s water sports school on the beach at its door, about 3 km from the Königshafen kite area.
Jugendherberge HörnumHostel · HörnumYouth hostel in the dunes at the north edge of Hörnum, open March to October, about 0.8 km from the Möwennest launch. On Kiteschule Sylt’s list.

Lessons

Duotone Pro Center Sylt$$·School · Kite · Wing · WindsurfLessons in Westerland: kite from 150 euros, windsurf from 120, wing from 250.
CampOne SyltSchool · Kite · Wing · WindsurfSchool at the Ellenbogen in List, May to October.
Kiteschule SyltSchool · Kite · Wing · WindsurfLessons and kids camps at Königshafen on the Ellenbogen.
Surfhouse SyltSchool · Kite · WingKite, wing and wave lessons from a base on Campingplatz Westerland, with beginner kite courses of two students per instructor, mostly at the Ellenbogen in List.
Waves and Wind Wassersport SyltSchool · Kite · Windsurf · Wing · KönigshafenKite, windsurf and wing lessons on the flat Lister Wadden Sea from Hotel Strand am Königshafen, April to October, with rental.

Kit

Duotone Pro Center SyltRental · Kite · WingKite and wing rental on request; SUP and surf from 25 euros.
Kiteschule SyltRental · Equipment rental at Königshafen.
Surfhouse SyltRental · Rental, a shop and a repair service at its base on Campingplatz Westerland, with its own sail loft and board workshop in Tinnum.

Price band $ to $$$ only where sourced; none shown means none held. Contact details and brands stocked join this table when the operator directory is connected.

04

Per-launch tide windows

Brandenburger Strand
Low—Mid—High—

High tide brings the heaviest shorebreak; low tide a more moderate one.

Königshafen
Low—Mid—High—

Ride 2 to 3 hours either side of high tide. Strong currents on the ebb.

Möwennest
Low—Mid—High—

Riding only two hours either side of low tide.

K4
Low—Mid—High—

The sandbank dries about two hours either side of low tide; the waves grow as the tide rises.

Tide data not yet available for this spot. The record holds wind, air and waves, not tide. Until a tide source is connected, the tables above stay empty rather than estimated. What the guide says about tide is on the next page, in words.

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05

Groynes, currents & the national park

Every hazard on the spot page, repeated here in full. Read this before you get wet.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

National parkLaunch and land only in the kite area and stay in the marked areas. Keep 300 to 500 metres, depending on the area, from seal haul-outs and gatherings of birds. Do not run onto sandbanks, and keep kites out of the protected zones.
EmergenciesIn a sea emergency call 112, or the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service on 124 124 from a mobile in coastal areas. VHF channel 16, Bremen Rescue.
West coast groynes and shorebreakStone groynes at Westerland are marked with yellow crosses. The shorebreak can reach 2 to 3 metres and there is a strong current. For advanced riders only.
Königshafen current and pilesSURF magazine says the water at Königshafen is only really deep enough two to three hours before and after high tide, and that strong currents run as the water goes out. Ride only in that tide window.
Cold waterThe water is around 4 to 15°C from September to February. A 5/4 with hood and gloves is the guide from November to March.
Groynes, piles and shells

Stone groynes on the Westerland beachfront are marked with yellow crosses. At Rantum, on the east side, there are stones, shells and remains of piles in the water, and rows of piles often lie just below the surface at high tide, and Möwennest has mussel beds: wear shoes.

Tide windows and currents

The tidal range is about 2 metres. At Königshafen strong currents run as the water goes out; ride 2 to 3 hours either side of high tide. Riding at Möwennest is allowed only two hours either side of low tide, and Rantum harbour is navigable only 2.5 hours either side of high tide. On the west coast the current is strong and the shorebreak can reach 2 to 3 metres.

06

Getting there, packing & best months

Nearest airportSylt (GWT)On the island at Westerland, with scheduled flights from Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and others.
SeasonOctober to FebruaryThe months the record shows the most rideable days. January is the pick.
Getting aroundCar train, then a carThe DB Sylt Shuttle runs from Niebüll to Westerland over the causeway in about 35 minutes, up to 19 times a day.
What to pack
BeachSand. Sand beaches west, with stone groynes at Westerland. Mud flats, shells and piles on the Wadden side.TideAbout 2 m. Each Wadden spot has a tide window. Check it before you drive there.Water4 to 15°C. September to February, from compiled research, not measured. A 5/4 with hood and gloves from November to March.LaunchKite areas only. Launch and land in the marked kite areas, and keep off the dunes.KitRent or bring. Duotone Pro Center Sylt and Kiteschule Sylt rent kit.
Kite sizes for December

Derived from the 18 to 19 kt mean over the season’s rideable hours in the record, October to February, corrected against the List auf Sylt station, not from a fitted quiver. Storm days run far higher: size down.

60 to 70 kg7 and 9 m70 to 85 kg8 and 10 m85 kg and up9 and 11 m
JFMAMJJASOND

Best months, Kite. Record.

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07

Sources, and their limits

Where each section of this report comes from. Record is measured. Modelled is computed by a formula because no measurement exists yet; it looks like data and is not. Written is WindChaser's editorial copy, compiled from the sources below.

§WhatSourceLimit
01Kite month sharesRecordCounted at 12 kt for three daylight hours from ecmwf_ifs at 9 km, cell 5.65 km from the spot, January 2017 to September 2026, 9 to 10 years a month, corrected by month and hour against DWD’s List auf Sylt station 6.49 km away. One point on the island stands for every spot.
01Windsurf and Wing month sharesRecordCounted at 13 kt (Windsurf) and 12 kt (Wing) from the same series, by the same rule as the Kite share.
01Direction, strength, when it blowsWrittenDirections per spot from DPC Sylt and Surf Magazin. Strength and time of day read from the record.
02The month’s recordsRecordNine to ten years a month, corrected against the List auf Sylt station.
03Stays, schools and kitWrittenChecked on each business’s own website or a named rider source, most recently on 27 September 2026. Price bands only where a price is published.
04Tide windowsMissingPer-spot windows are written from DPC Sylt and Surf Magazin; no tide tables are in the pipeline.
05Hazards, the national park and currentsWrittenNational park guidance from the LKN.SH leaflet, emergency numbers from the DGzRS. Physical hazards from DPC Sylt and Surf Magazin, not surveyed.
06Airports, access, packing, kite sizesWrittenFlights from the airport timetable, car train from sylt.de. Water temperature and crowds from compiled research. Sizes derived from the session mean.
MapsMissingNo drawn maps for this spot. No surveyed coordinates for the launches.

The record

Hourly wind, 2017 to 2026, from ECMWF IFS HRES via Open-Meteo: a 9 km grid, read at the cell 5.7 km from the spot. It knows the wind over the cell, not the gust on the sand in front of you, and it knows the bearing, not the coastline: "side-onshore" is a rider's reading of the bearing. Each month is counted over nine to ten years.

What we could not source for Sylt

A crowd count: the months above are compiled research. A bathing water classification, and a first-hand reading of the local vibe. Tide tables and per-launch tide hours. A record for the Wadden side. Surveyed launch coordinates, and a wing launch named by a school at each spot. A measured water temperature.

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Compiled by WindChaser, 25 Sep 2026. Station data: Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Climate Data Center. Derived figures, not the published values. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Deutscher Wetterdienst, GeoNutzV). Hero photograph on the spot page by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0. Report generated 22 Oct 2026 from record version 2026.10; a report and its spot page are rendered from the same data and cannot disagree.

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