Big Day in Hanstholm
Boiling North Sea surf on July 3, 2026
Have you ever windsurfed in big waves? On July 3, there was an opportunity to do just that in Denmark. Strong winds from the west-northwest, blowing at 36–44 knots, had enough force to push huge waves across the sea. Not quite as big as last October, but still big enough to lure only the most daring windsurfers out onto the water.
Big waves in the North Sea are different from the big waves found at the well-known big-wave spots. The waves roll in an irregular pattern and break far out in the bay. There’s surf everywhere. Wave crests overlap, creating over mast-high walls that windsurfers are better off avoiding.
The first one out on the water was Andreas from Denmark. As I approached the spot, I could already see an orange sail darting through the waves from a distance. It looked tiny compared to the swells in front of and behind it. I quickly grabbed my camera, because the session was bathed in the light of the morning sun.
On one of the next runs out to sea, a huge whitewater roller appeared. Andreas barely made it over it, but then the sail was no longer in sight.
Minutes later, we were still scanning the water's surface with a telephoto lens and binoculars, but there was no sign of him. The question “Should we call for help?” came up, but then we saw him swimming about 800 meters further downwind, near Middles — not far from shore. And in the wake behind him, the gear was being flushed through in a spin cycle.
Then finally solid ground beneath his feet, and both arms stretched up toward the sky in relief. After a quick dash ashore, he was able to retrieve the gear unharmed a good distance further downwind, between Middles and Hamborg. He got luck.
In the meantime, Olaf had also set up his 3.7 to catch the pressure in the troughs. Out on the water, the conditions were first greeted with a “Cheeseroll,” then the sail tip disappeared intermittently between the wave crests.
Adi also set up his gear and hit the water. The parking lot filled up, and as the morning went on, more surfers took to the water. The wave height steadily decreased, but with sails around 3.5 m2, most surfers had more than enough power in the afternoon and into the evening.
Below is a video of the conditions in the morning, when only Andreas, Olaf and Adi were surfing the waves:
July 14, 2026 © DAILY DOSE | Text: Jürgen Schall | Fotos/Grafiken: Jürgen Schall | translation: DE
