Damp is Schleswig-Holstein’s little wave address. The seaside resort on the Schwansen peninsula looks out onto the open Baltic, and when the wind pushes onshore a real wave runs here, a rarity on the otherwise so flat Baltic. Alongside it there are shallow, calm areas for the first attempts, a spot that makes wave riders just as happy as beginners.
| Spot | Seaside resort of Damp, Schwansen peninsula (Schleswig-Holstein) |
| Wind | Southwest as well as southeast to east-northeast; wave with onshore southeast to east, clean with strong south-southwest |
| Water | Buoy-free, wide beach, shallow calm areas, a real wave with onshore wind |
| Level | Beginner (flat water) to wave |
| Sports | Surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, kite foiling, wing foiling, SUP |
| Camping & parking | Ostsee Resort Damp with beach access and parking, campsites in the area |
| Note | In summer watch out for the marked swimming areas, as a water sports rider launch outside them |
A wave when the wind stands onshore
Damp faces openly onto the Baltic, and that is exactly what makes the wave. It works best with onshore wind from southeast to east, hitting the beach at an angle, and with strong south-southwest the waves get properly clean and decently big for Baltic conditions. That is when the wave riders pull out their boards, and wave kiters and windsurfers get their fill too.
Our impression: Damp is our tip for when the Baltic does have a wave. Sure, it needs wind and the right direction, but when it works the spot almost feels like the North Sea, only much closer. For us, one of the finest wave days between fjord and Schlei.
For beginners too
But you do not have to be a wave pro. The beach is buoy-free and spacious, and there are shallow areas with calm water where beginners practise in a relaxed way. So on a windy day almost everyone finds their place, the wave out front, the calmer water beside it.
Getting there and staying over
Right at the spot lies the large Ostsee Resort Damp with beach access and parking, and there are campsites in the area. In summer watch out for the marked swimming areas and, as a water sports rider, launch outside them. Whether enough wind and the right direction come together today is told by our wind check.
Damp is the wave exception on the western Baltic. You will find more spots in our spot overview.