Hvide Sande Webcam – Denmark’s Herring Fishing Sluice

The Hvide Sande Webcam looks out from the Hvide Sande Sportsfisker Center over the fishing spots at the town’s drainage sluice, where Ringkobing Fjord empties into the harbour and on to the North Sea. A gangway drops from a stone revetment in the foreground to a long floating pontoon, and anglers line its edge with their rods out over the water. Beyond them the sluice runs off to the left on a row of concrete arches with the Route 181 road bridge on top, and harbour buildings and moored vessels close the view on the far side of the basin. The camera faces roughly south and holds one fixed wide view. Rods are often out, most of all in April and May, when herring run through the sluice.

About Hvide Sande

Hvide Sande grew up around an artificial canal cut through the strip of land between Ringkobing Fjord and the North Sea. The sluice works that control the water level of the fjord were built in 1931, and the town has lived off the channel ever since. It ranks among the largest fishing ports in Denmark, with more than 200 fishing vessels based here and fish auctions held every day, and about 2,760 people live in the town.

The camera sits on the sea side of the drainage sluice, the part of the works that lets fjord water out. Its bridge carries Route 181 over the outflow for about 125 meters (410 feet), and the floating pontoon in front of the camera is roughly 75 meters (245 feet) long. The ship lock, Kammerslusen, where boats pass between the fjord and the harbour, lies about 400 meters (1,310 feet) farther south and stays out of frame. April and May are the main herring season here: the fish migrate through the locks to spawn in the fjord, and the narrow passage packs them tightly together. Mackerel, flatfish, mullet, cod and garfish are also caught from the piers.

The Sportsfisker Center on Nordhavnskaj, which the stream is named after, has indoor cleaning stations with running water, packing tables with ice and a fishing hall overlooking the water. Since May 2015, fishing in the harbour’s payment zone has needed a harbour access card, on top of the national Danish fishing licence. Each April the town holds a herring festival, which the regional tourist board calls the largest of its kind in Denmark.

Weather and Climate in Hvide Sande

Hvide Sande sits right on the North Sea, so temperatures stay mild and the wind seldom lets up. Modelled data for 2015 to 2024 put winter highs at about 5 to 6 C (41 to 44 F), with nights close to 2 C (35 F), and on an average winter day the wind peaks at more than 30 km/h (19 mph). Spring arrives slowly. March still tops out around 7 C (44 F), May reaches about 15 C (58 F), and April is the driest month, with roughly 57 mm (2.2 inches) of rain.

Summer highs reach 18 to 20 C (64 to 67 F) in July and August, with nights around 14 C (57 F). Autumn is the wet season: September and October each bring 110 to 117 mm (4.3 to 4.6 inches) of rain, and October highs drop back to 13 C (55 F). On camera the seasons show mostly through the anglers, and the short winter days at this latitude leave only a few hours of daylight on the water.

Things to Do Near Hvide Sande

Fiskeriets Hus, the fishing museum about 160 meters (525 feet) east of the pontoon, covers the history of fishing and of Hvide Sande itself. Jyllandsakvariet Hvide Sande, an aquarium set in a former fillet factory, lets visitors get close to rays. On Sundays in July and August, visitors can also watch the harbour’s fish auction at work.

Lyngvig Fyr, the lighthouse on the dunes about 5.3 km (3.3 miles) north-northwest of the sluice, has 228 steps to the top. Abelines Gaard shows how families lived on the old dune farms of Jutland’s west coast, and Nordso Water Park lies 6 km (3.7 miles) south of town beside a campsite. Ringkobing Fjord itself draws windsurfers and kitesurfers. Westwind runs two surf centers in the area, Nord and Syd, and KABELPARK tows wakeboarders and water skiers around a cable course.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cams cover the same stretch of coast and other harbours around the North Sea.

• Lyngvig Fyr Webcam
• Henne Strand Beach Webcam
• Frederikshavn Webcam
• Dornumersiel Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hvide Sande located?

Hvide Sande is on the west coast of Jutland in Denmark, in Ringkobing-Skjern Municipality in the Central Denmark Region. The town stands on the strip of land between Ringkobing Fjord and the North Sea, about 12 km (7.7 miles) southwest of Ringkobing across the fjord.

What can you see on the Hvide Sande Webcam?

A fixed wide view south across the basin on the sea side of the drainage sluice. The gangway and floating fishing pontoon fill the foreground, the arched sluice with Route 181 on top runs off to the left, and harbour buildings and moored vessels line the far shore to the right. Anglers are often on the pontoon.

Does the Hvide Sande Webcam show the sluice?

Yes, the drainage sluice and its road bridge take up the left side of the frame. The ship lock, Kammerslusen, where boats pass between the fjord and the harbour, is about 400 meters (1,310 feet) south and out of view.

Is this a Hvide Sande surf or beach webcam?

No. This camera looks over the harbour basin at the sluice, and the North Sea beach and its surf are out of view to the west. For a beach on the same coast, the Henne Strand Beach Webcam listed above looks at the sand and the sea.

Can you see Hvide Sande harbour on the webcam?

Partly. Harbour buildings and moored vessels line the far side of the basin, but the camera is aimed at the fishing pontoon, so most of the fishing fleet’s quays are out of frame.

When is the herring season at Hvide Sande?

April and May. The herring migrate through the locks to spawn in Ringkobing Fjord, and the narrow passage concentrates them, so this is when the pontoon on camera is usually at its busiest. The town’s herring festival also takes place in April.

Do you need a permit to fish at the Hvide Sande sluice?

Yes. The harbour is a payment zone, so anglers need a harbour access card, sold online and at Kott Fritid and Lystfiskeren in town, plus the national Danish fishing licence. The card also covers the Sportsfisker Center’s cleaning and packing facilities.

What is the weather like in Hvide Sande?

Mild and windy. Winter highs are about 5 C (41 F) and summer highs 18 to 20 C (64 to 67 F). Autumn is the wettest season, with October averaging around 117 mm (4.6 inches) of rain.

Source: Feriepartner Hvide Sande