Surfing on Texel

Surfing

Texel is one of the places in The Netherlands which picks up relatively a lot of swell and compared to the rest of The Netherlands the waves are often higher. Surfing is done on the North Sea side of the island and in principle this whole coastline is suitable for the sport, depending on the conditions. The northernmost part of the island, from Paal 30 to 33, and the southernmost part, under paal 5, are not recommended for surfing due to the strong currents.

Most surfers are to be found at paal17(near Ecomare) and at paal20 near De Koog. There is good parking at these beaches. Currently the waves break here the best on the island. Storms and sand replenishment result in the sand banks shifting which means that the waves can change every year. Watersport in the form of (wind) surfing is only allowed outside of the life guarded areas. See map.

Surf school

It is important for beginner surfers to have lessons. Surfing is one of the most difficult sports to learn and when you take lessons you can safely learn the basis techniques in an enjoyable way. At the left side of paal17 you'll find the surf school Ozlines owned by Chris Way, with qualified instructors. You can also hire surfboards and wetsuits here.

Wind surfing

Texel has the most wind and sun in the Netherlands and is a wonderful place for windsurfing, with various spots for surfers of all abilities. Texel is an island with a lot of beaches, meaning that windsurfers can choose the optimal windsurf spot for every wind direction.

On the North Sea side surfing is possible at beaches 9,12,15,17 and28, of which Paal9 and 17 attract the most wind surfers. Watersport in the form of (wind)surfing is only allowed outside of the lifeguarded beaches. See map.

On the Wadden Sea side you can only surf by the club house of the windsurfclub at Dijksmanshuizen (Oudeschild). Take the tide into consideration, the bay can fall dry at low tide. You can get rig up on the grass field by the club house and you can load and unload your gear by driving your car up onto the dyke.

Windsurfschool

At the Windsurfclub lessons are once again being given by experienced instructors enabling you to safely learn to windsurf. Complete sets of equipment can also be hired here, and kite surfing lessons are also offered.

Kite surfing

Kite surfing is only allowed at the following two locations:
on the North Sea beach between beach Paal17, 50 metres after the end of the life guarded beach, until 50 metres before the lifeguarded beach at Paal 19;
on the North Sea between beach pole10.93 and11.68 (kite zone A). See map. Kite surfing on the Wadden Sea is not allowed (any more), the police fine kite surfers on the Wadden Sea. For the locations where kite surfing is allowed the following rules apply:

§ stated locations may be used as starting and landing places;

§ during kite surfing you must keep within the borders as defined from the coastline;

§ the safety regulations of the NKV (Dutch Kite Surfing Society) and the HKA (Hawaiin Kitesurfing Association) must be complied with.

Safety

Things to bear in mind are the small piers which occur every 200 metres up until Paal 18. These are underwater at high tide but can be recognized by the yellow topped poles on the beach. These piers can be dangerous due to the strong currents around them and also as the piers themselves consist of hard, sharp stones.

For spring tide and neap tide see our Tides page. Watersport in the form of (wind)surfing and canoeing is only allowed outside of the lifeguarded beaches. Those practising water sports must respect the safety of swimmers and others in or on the water. It is also always strongly recommended that you keep to the surf rules.