At the end of October the weather suddenly changed and it became a lot colder. The shoes went on again! Before that it was still very warm with temperatures of 20 degrees. Now it is autumn and that is noticeable for kite surfers and wingfoilers in the Netherlands. Fortunately, the wind often blows hard enough. We will not discuss this in this kitesurfing November blog kitesurfing holidays. No, we hope to give you insight for kitesurfing in November in the Netherlands.
October had fewer kite surfers
It was still quite busy on the water in mid-October. Not so busy already during Covid. Then we counted record numbers of kite surfers on the water.
Average November temperature is dropping
With an average temperature of 13,2°C in De Bilt, against the normal 10,9°C, October was very mild. The month therefore ends up in sixth place in the top ten warmest October months since 1901 according to knmi.nl. For November, based on the current forecast in combination with the long-term average, this is 7,2 degrees. That is quite cool and takes some getting used to for us after a warm summer and relatively warm October. Fortunately, the average water temperature is higher. This is great for novice kite surfers. Then you will of course be in the water even more often.
Average water temperature in November is dropping
The average sea temperature in October was 18 degrees. In November this is 13 degrees. The average temperature of the inland waters is 10 degrees. So still a bit colder than the North Sea. At the beginning of the month, the temperature of the seawater can be slightly higher. At the end of the month, the water temperature may have dropped to approximately 8,8 degrees at sea and approximately 5 degrees in inland waters. This partly depends on the extremes in terms of weather during the month.
The advice is to stop and warm up as soon as you notice that you are getting tired.
You wouldn't expect it given the high temperature at the end of October, but the fact is that the average temperature of the water drops quickly in the coming weeks. Your body loses heat much faster in water than in air. So pay attention, because hypothermia is a risk that is often recognized too late. The advice is to stop and warm up as soon as you notice that you are starting to get tired. Read more about whether it is wise to go kite surfing, kitesurfing in winter and the wind chill factor.
Average wind force kite surfing in November is increasing
In September, the wind was blowing more than 59 knots 7% of the time. This is about the lower limit to be able to kitefoil. In October this is on average 67% and in November 68%. October was not a bad month for kite surfers. In November we have a slightly more chance of wind compared to October.
Correct thickness wetsuit kite surfing November
It is a fact that it is getting colder. You notice it well on a rainy day. You don't even have to be by the sea for that. So it is time for a 5/4 mm wetsuit again. We have advice on the correct wetsuit thickness for you. It is also the time for small holes and tears in your to glue neoprene. Neoprene surf shoes will be used by a group of kite surfers for extra insulation but not by everyone yet. You will also see kite surfers with neoprene caps and gloves. We already saw that at the end of October.
Kitesurfing November 2023
Our experience is that when the weather changes, some kite surfers give up. There is also a group of kite surfers who are becoming more selective. So they only catch the really nice days. We hope to meet many kitesurfers again in November and at some cool kitesurfing sessions.
