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It really doesn't go any further here! We find ourselves on a bumpy dirt track in the middle of a marshy grassy landscape. When planning the route, the sat nav had succinctly stated that the route may include "unpaved roads". But that's a whole new dimension here! I get out of the car and walk along the track to see what happens next. It turns into 20 turns. Again and again we check whether the ground can support the vehicle. After what feels like an eternity, we've made it. Now it's time to head back and take the long diversions via the country road to get to Wolin, because that's where we actually wanted to go.
You could also go out where you know the spots by heart. But this is life! How much I have missed these mini-adventures in these difficult times. Admittedly, thinking outside the box sometimes involves a lot of effort and unwanted surprises. But you often experience unforgettable things on such trips - like here on the lagoon. The lagoon is a little off the beaten track geographically and has therefore been neglected by me up to now.
We first travelled to Usedom so that we could switch to other spots if necessary - just in case the lagoon turned out to be a flop. The first spot I headed for on the Szczecin Lagoon was the remote village of Kamminke. Situated just before the Polish border, a small headland juts out into the lagoon and offers free wind for various wind directions. It was noticeable that there were groynes here. Should waves build up so strongly on the lagoon that the beach sometimes has to be protected from them?
Bizarre contrasts on the Szczecin Lagoon
The Szczecin Lagoon is unlike any windsurfing spot I have ever visited. There are these bizarre contrasts between the vastness of the marshland of the Oder delta and the tranquillity of nature on the one hand. But there are also the loud Polish folk festivals, which are celebrated in the most remote places. There are the modern tower blocks of the student city of Szczecin and, a few streets away, old, crumbling buildings that really do seem to date back to wartime. There are lively Baltic seaside resorts like Swinoujscie, but also secluded oases of peace like Czarnocin.
We occasionally found a few fellow surfers on the lagoon itself, but there was no real surfing scene to be found here. Well, we circumnavigated the lagoon several times. In search of adventure or something completely new? I don't know. A few metres of shallow water, then lots of brown chop, perhaps a bit like Lake Neusiedl, only higher, plus very warm water and hardly any seaweed. The comparatively shallow lagoon warms up very quickly in spring and the high water temperature becomes a real problem for flora and fauna in summer. Even on our trips in spring, the water was pleasantly warm and the sessions almost felt like summer.
Szczecin Lagoon - a windsurfing area for the whole family
So for whom is the Szczecin Lagoon suitable as a holiday destination or weekend trip? It is definitely an area where the whole family will get their money's worth. The campsites, most of which are very close to the water, offer the perfect conditions for a successful surfing holiday. Firing up the barbecue or having a picnic after a session - that works really well here. People looking for peace and seclusion will also get their money's worth.
While the crowds throng Usedom's beaches, the lagoon offers a calming contrast. Mystically dark forest landscapes, marshy meadows on which the mist dances in the morning, a gentle wind blowing through the green reeds and brown waves dancing on the wide lagoon.
The following guide should help you on your journey into the unknown and encourage you to discover new things. And ensure that you don't get stuck somewhere.
The best windsurfing spots on the Szczecin Lagoon
1 Mönkebude
If you follow the signs in Mönkebude towards the harbour, you can't miss the spot; you can park either to the left of the marina on a meadow or at the Strandblick campsite. A green area for rigging up, a playground for the children, showers, toilets and beach chairs - here you will find the right infrastructure for a relaxing stay. From the restaurant "Strandhalle Münkebude" you also have a beautiful view of the spot. In summer, there are lots of bathers here, so it's better to push your equipment out a few metres before heading up. Mönkebude works best in north-westerly to easterly winds, with northerly winds also offering some chop for jumping. In pure westerly winds you have to go out quite far to get constant wind, in which case Bellini Beach is the better alternative. Southerly winds are offshore and less suitable, although south-easterly still works.
2 Grambin
Ostsee-Campingpark Oderhaff has its own access to the lagoon with a fine sandy beach and a meadow for setting up and taking down. Similar to Mönkebude, winds from north-west to north to east-south-east are best. The conditions are similar to those of the other spots on the south side of the lagoon: small chops, which can become steep and waist-high in strong winds and are easily suitable for a few jumps, brown water, some standing area behind the reed edge. So if you're travelling with your family and are expecting a relaxed camping trip, you'll be in luck at Grambin, as all the amenities of a modern campsite can be found here too. For a quick session after work, we recommend travelling to Mönkebude.
3 Ueckermünde
The town's main beach faces north-east. Accordingly, north-westerly to south-easterly winds work best here too, although the spot can cope with a little more southerly winds than Mönkebude or Grambin, for example. Although there is a large, paid car park directly behind the promenade and a few parking spaces have even been created for motorhomes, it often gets very crowded here during the holiday season. There are narrow groynes in the water and it is not really easy for windsurfers to make their way to the water. However, those who surf further out can enjoy relaxed slalom or bump & jump sessions on the lagoon. With a westerly wind, only small chops are possible, but with a northerly wind, the chop turns into the steep chop that you already know from other spots.
4 Bellini Beach
Beach bar with cocktails, fine sandy beach and dense forest: the ambience at Bellini Beach is perfect for sundowner sessions. However, you have to park a few hundred metres away from the spot, but in return you have exclusive access to the Szczecin Lagoon. The westerly wind blows sideshore and you can surf directly from the rather narrow beach. The first few metres are quite gusty, but outside there are great freestyle, freeride or foil conditions. North-westerly to north-easterly winds also work, but then bring higher chop.
5 Altwarp
Located at the end of the world, with a view of Poland, unspoilt nature and a few small beaches for the different wind directions await you here. Altwarp is located on a peninsula. To the east and on the other side of Neuwarp Lake is the Polish sister town of Neuwarp, Nowe Warpno. The surrounding landscape is as breathtaking as it is lonely. There are rare inland dunes, dense, deep green forest as well as reed beds and moorland. Windsurfing here feels almost exotic. In principle, you can find a suitable beach here for every wind direction. However, access is not always easy.
North of the "Siedlung Altwarp" settlement is the beach of the same name, which works well in south-westerly to northerly winds. However, if the wind blows from the east, it is worth moving to the nearby village of Altwarp, where there is a beach with a caravan site where easterly winds arrive freely. In easterly to south-easterly winds, the chop is mostly blocked, but when the wind turns to the north-east, choppy waves also arrive here, inviting you to jump. Finally, in the south of the town there is a spot for southerly winds on Neuwarper See, the entry point is in the area of the "Resort Stettiner Haff". This means that almost all wind directions are possible in Altwarp. The spots all seem to be made for relaxed cruising or slalom action; laboratory freestyle conditions with mirror-smooth water are less likely to be found here. The village of Altwarp also has the necessary infrastructure such as accommodation and some catering facilities.
6 Trzebiez
The place with the unpronounceable name has a spot and a small skate park right on the beach. Here we are at the mouth of the Oder and already on the Polish side. The attribute "remote" seems to apply to almost all spots on the Szczecin Lagoon. Trzebiez is no exception in this respect. Nevertheless, with a campsite close to the spot, a playground and holiday accommodation, there is plenty on offer to keep you here for longer than just one session. Ideally, the wind should blow from west-north-west to north-east to south-south-east. Just don't sail too far into the fairway and be considerate of the bathers!
7 Czarnocin
We were expecting something like the Wulfen of Poland and were happy to meet two other windsurfers. The spot is located almost directly at the end of an old country road, on which you cruise through the marshland of the Oder Delta at a leisurely 60 kilometres per hour. In the village there is a signpost with "Plaza Windsurfing". Following this, you drive through a small wooded area and eventually find a few free car parks, the clubhouse of a surf club and a beautiful sandy beach. The idyllic postcard ambience with beautiful sunsets over the lagoon should not make you forget the occasional stones lying close to the reeds and just below the surface of the water. The spot works in all westerly directions, here it blows diagonally onshore to onshore and, with the right wind strength, veritable chops can roll onto the shore. Things are a little calmer with south or north-northeast winds, which then arrive sideshore at the spot. A bit of standing area sweetens the stay here, and not just for up-and-comers
8 Wolin/Dzika Plaza
Coming from Czarnocin, you should never follow the sat nav if it recommends a route with unpaved roads that looks much shorter than the diversions via the motorway or country road 111. We almost lost our car to the swamp here! However, the last kilometre to the spot inevitably leads along a dirt track with potholes. You have to be careful here! You can set up right by the water and even spend the night. At the Wolin spot, which is popular with kiters, the wind comes in from the west, onshore and free, while southerly and northerly wind directions tend to blow more sideshore. The spot also offers a standing area, which makes launching easier and ensures that good flat water conditions usually prevail here. There is also infrastructure and shopping facilities in the nearby town of Wolin.
9 Kamminke
Located just before the Polish border on the island of Usedom, Kamminke has a south-west facing sandy beach with a steep coastline behind it. There are a few groynes in the water, but they stop after a few hundred metres to the north. With onshore south-westerly winds, the wind has a range of over 15 kilometres and conditions can be almost like those in the Baltic Sea. The wind from the south is also good, blowing almost sideshore from the left at the spot and offering good conditions for jumping. The bottom line is that all wind directions work here, from west-north-west to east-south-east. Only when the wind blows from the north-east are the beaches on the island of Usedom or the south side of the Szczecin Lagoon the better choice.
Spot Info Szczecin Lagoon
Journey
From Berlin, you can reach the German spots on the Szczecin Lagoon in two hours via the A11 and A20 motorways. For the Polish spots, you have to add one to two hours, depending on the location. You should travel with your own car, camper or motorhome if you want to spontaneously drive to the spots with the best wind. However, due to the often numerous cycle paths and the beautiful countryside with plenty of open space, adventure trips by bike and trailer are also a good option.
Living & Camping
The very modern, family-friendly campsites on the German side are ideal for weekend trips and longer stays. The pitches are usually located under shady trees. There are playgrounds and exclusive beach access to the lagoon.
- A relatively central starting point with many spot options is Ueckermünde on the south side of the lagoon. The Oderhaff camping park near Grambin is a good place to start ( www.campingpark-oderhaff.de ). You could theoretically spend your entire holiday here and make short trips to Altwarp and Mönkebude to cover all wind directions.
- The "Bellin holiday resort" ( www.ferien-bungalow-bellin.de ) is also very centrally located and offers bungalows and holiday flats at good prices.
- At Altwarp there is a caravan site near the ferry landing stage, and in Neuwarp, on the Polish side, there is also a campsite.
- Further west and less central, but closer to Usedom, is the Strandblick campsite in Mönkebude ( www.moenkebude.de ).
If you are feeling adventurous, cycle from Ueckermünde via Ahlbeck to Hintersee and after countless kilometres on the toughest cobblestones you will reach the German-Polish border. Now you can decide to make a detour to Neuwarp and travel to Szczecin via Trzebiez. There are many accommodation options in Trzebiez, as many people from the Szczecin conurbation (777,000 inhabitants) spend their holidays here. In Wolin and Czarnocin you can camp in the wild without any problems, at least in the low season. Of course, everything should be left clean. In addition, you will hardly make it to Wolin on the bumpy sandy track with a motorhome, for example. It is therefore better to use one of the official campsites for overnight stays (e.g. Caravan site Wolin ).
On the Baltic Sea in the direction of Misdroy and also in Świnoujście, the range of accommodation is significantly larger. You can still find good hotel offers in Świnoujście in particular, especially in the low season.
If you look at the development of the popular spots in the western Baltic Sea in recent years, it becomes clear that they are becoming increasingly regulated and restricted. In comparison, the wild, more deserted eastern part of the Szczecin Lagoon still offers plenty of freedom and space for individual development and certainly more spots than those described below.
Wind, weather & neoprene recommendations
All wind directions are possible on the Szczecin Lagoon. Due to its somewhat special location, very easterly and quite southerly, low-pressure systems with westerly winds arrive less strongly than on Rügen, for example. However, this can be an advantage for beginners and intermediates. On the other hand, easterly winds often come through very well and these weather conditions can last a long time, especially in spring. The lagoon offers a major advantage over the Baltic Sea: the water in the shallow waters warms up very quickly and in summer you can regularly surf in a shorty. Conversely, the lagoon also cools down more quickly in autumn and winter. A good 4/3 neo should definitely be in your luggage in spring and autumn.
Surf schools & shops
There is a surf club near Czarnocin and a kite club in Wolin. You'll find what you're looking for on the island of Usedom ( www.surfboxusedom.de ). The only surf shops on the lagoon are in Szczecin and Świnoujście and are called www.blowmykite.com and www.kitefort.pl - At least the latter also offers windsurfing equipment.
Alternative programme
The easiest way to explore West Pomerania is by bike or on foot. The 310-kilometre Szczecin Lagoon Circular Trail also leads directly past several surf spots. There is an inland dune near Altwarp. Boat trips and swimming excursions to Usedom are just as much a part of the programme as a city trip to Szczecin. SUPing towards the sunset on the lagoon is just as possible as a round on the skating track in Trzebiez.
Good to know
As the water of the Szczecin Lagoon is brown and therefore hardly lets any sunlight through, algae growth is reduced. Nevertheless, you should take a seaweed fin with you in summer in case of emergency. With luck, however, you will find some of the few spots near the Baltic Sea where there is no seaweed in summer.
Local tip: Ideally, choose spots for your sessions on the lagoon where the wind comes onshore or cross-onshore. There are many forests in the area and this is the only way the wind can develop well over the open lagoon.
