Map › Texel › De Koog (Paal 17)
Spot · tier 2 · Netherlands
De Koog (Paal 17)
Paal 17 near De Koog is Texel's main kite hub and has hosted a dedicated kite school since 2005. It's a wide, quiet North Sea beach with shallow sandbar gullies ('zwinnen') close in and proper waves further out, giving both learners and advanced wave riders room to work - and being on an island, some corner of Texel is rideable in almost any wind direction.
beginnerfreeridewavesfreestyle
Wind
| season notes | Rideable year-round; wind data comes from the KNMI Texelhors station 4km south of Paal 17 |
|---|---|
| direction to shore | N, NW, SW favored at Paal 17 itself |
| quality | steady |
Water
| type | mixed |
|---|---|
| temp summer c | 18 |
| temp winter c | 6 |
| tides | Conditions change with the tide across the sandbar gullies |
| standing depth | Yes - shallow 'zwinnen' gullies close to shore |
Levels
| beginner | yes |
|---|---|
| intermediate | yes |
| advanced | yes |
| notes | Shallow zwinnen close in suit beginners/progression; bigger waves further out for advanced freeride/freestyle |
Launch & crowd
| description | Wide, spacious sandy beach with an on-site kite school pavilion for gear storage |
|---|---|
| busy months |
|
| vibe | Wide, quiet beach - main kite hub of the island but rarely feels packed |
Monthly wind statistics
Station: Texel International Airport (windfinder.com, ~8 km) — The De Koog / Texel station itself has only annual figures (no monthly breakdown) and stopped reporting in 2017 (2012-2017 record: 9 kn avg, WSW, gusts 12 kn, day 11 C / night 10 C). Used Texel International Airport instead (~8 km away, roughly central island vs. De Koog on the west coast) because it exposed a monthly dominant-direction table, but note its own data also ends mid-2016 and windfinder flags it as no-longer-reporting. Annual averages: 9 kn, WSW, gusts 15 kn, daytime 11 C / nighttime 10 C. Neither station is right at the beach/dune exposure of Paal 17, and neither yields monthly speed/Bft numbers (JS-rendered chart, not extractable in this session).
| Month | Wind ≥4 Bft | Avg kn | Dir | Air °C | Water °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | —% | — | SW | — | — |
| Feb | —% | — | SSW | — | — |
| Mar | —% | — | WSW | — | — |
| Apr | —% | — | WNW | — | — |
| May | —% | — | WNW | — | — |
| Jun | —% | — | WNW | — | — |
| Jul | —% | — | W | — | — |
| Aug | —% | — | WSW | — | — |
| Sep | —% | — | W | — | — |
| Oct | —% | — | SSW | — | — |
| Nov | —% | — | SSW | — | — |
| Dec | —% | — | WSW | — | — |
Hazards
- Deeper water beyond the sandbar gullies
- Conditions change quickly with the tide
Tips
- Use Texel's island geography to chase wind direction: Vuurtoren works for NE-SE, Surfstrand for ENE-S, Ceres for E-SSW when Paal 17 isn't working
- Best for lessons thanks to consistent, accessible conditions
Travel basics
| airport | AMS - Amsterdam Schiphol, then car ferry (Texelstroom) from Den Helder |
|---|---|
| getting there | Ferry from Den Helder required |
| accommodation | Campsites and holiday rentals around De Koog |
| cost level | mid |
| no wind | Explore Texel's dunes, De Koog village, and Ecomare nature center |
Nearby: De Cocksdorp (Vuurtoren)
Sources: kitesurfvereniging.nl · kitesurftexel.nl