Balnakiel Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Scotland – North Coast, UK)

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Balnakiel Bay Surf Guide

Balnakiel Bay on the North Coast is a reasonably exposed beach break that has pretty consitent surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the east with some shelter here from north winds. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the northwest. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Good surf at all stages of the tide.

Balnakiel Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Beach	4.0
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent	12.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Balnakiel Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Balnakiel Bay occur when a Northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

7 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Balnakiel Bay (for consistent clean waves)?

februaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Balnakiel Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of February. Clean surfable waves are typically found 16% of the time in February while 66% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 18% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

16%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

66%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

18%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Balnakiel Bay Location Map

Interactive Balnakiel Bay surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Balnakiel Bay is Wick Airport (WIC) in U.k., 99 km (61 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Balnakiel Bay is Stornoway Airport (SYY), also in U.k., 100 km (62 miles) away.

Break

Live Wave Height (m)

Live Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Balnakiel Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

7 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 26 October 2021, 11:52 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 26
ft, °F	10AM	1PM	4PM	7PM
Wave (m)	W	W	WSW	WSW
Period (s)	11	11	10	9
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross	cross- on	cross- on

What does Balnakiel Bay look like?

Latest photos from Balnakiel Bay. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Niquinho

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Tides at Balnakiel Bay

Current tide and informaton

For Balnakiel Bay, 21.0 km from Balnakiel Bay.

Next High Water: 12:01am | 2.97m

Next Low Water: 05:52pm | 1.04m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Balnakiel Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (12.0 °C) at Balnakiel Bay is fairly cold. Surfers will need a quality steamer wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots because it will be cloudy with an effective air temperature of (9.0 °C).

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.