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Surf Forecasts:
Balnakiel Bay surfForecast / Scot – North Coast / UK
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 am Thursday 30 Apr 2026 BSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Balnakiel Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Balnakiel Bay sea temperature is
8.7° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Balnakiel Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Balnakiel Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Apr 30) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Balnakiel Bay in the next 16 days are 2.3m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Apr 30) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Saturday (May 02) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Thu 30th Apr) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Thu 30th Apr) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Thu 30th Apr) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Balnakiel Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sat morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Sun night, min 4°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Sun morning, near gales from the NNW by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 1 | Saturday 2 | Sunday 3 | Monday 4 | Tuesday 5 | Wednesday 6 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | N 10 | N 9 | N 8 | NNE 9 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NW 8 | |
2107 | 1490 | 931 | 636 | 439 | 467 | 480 | 365 | 218 | 153 | 156 | 115 | 439 | 381 | 216 | 214 | 804 | 409 | 601 | 657 | 346 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | glassy | off | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | |
High Tide | 7:47AM3.72m | 8:13PM3.72m | 8:22AM3.74m | 8:43PM3.77m | 8:55AM3.72m | 9:12PM3.76m | 9:28AM3.65m | 9:43PM3.70m | 10:02AM3.52m | 10:14PM3.58m | 10:36AM3.34m | 10:48PM3.43m | 11:13AM3.13m | 11:25PM3.26m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:07PM0.29m | 2:24AM0.46m | 2:39PM0.29m | 2:57AM0.39m | 3:11PM0.35m | 3:29AM0.39m | 3:42PM0.46m | 4:02AM0.45m | 4:15PM0.60m | 4:37AM0.57m | 4:48PM0.78m | 5:14AM0.75m | 5:25PM0.97m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  | |  | | |  | | | | | |
 | 5:28 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:06 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:09 | — | — | 9:13 | — | — | 9:15 | — | — | 9:16 | — | — | 9:20 |
— | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
Temp °C | 16 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
13 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -6 | -4 | -2 | -2 | -3 | -2 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | N 6 | N 8 | WNW 9 | N 8 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | W 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 10 | NNW 10 | N 10 |
 kJ | 2107 | 1490 | 931 | 636 | 439 | 467 | 480 | 365 | 218 | 79 | 109 | 115 | 21 | 51 | 216 | 214 | 57 | 409 | 363 | 657 | 266 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 8 | — | — | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | — | — | NNW 7 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NNW 8 | — | — | WNW 8 | W 8 | — | NW 11 | WNW 9 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 |
| kJ | 6 | — | — | 9 | 19 | 10 | — | — | 30 | 153 | 156 | 83 | — | — | 149 | 127 | — | 368 | 80 | 100 | 16 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 6 | N 10 | — | NNW 9 | — | — | NNW 9 | — | — | WNW 9 | — | E 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 8 | — | 8 | — | — | 132 | — | — | 86 | — | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | — | — | WNW 3 | NW 9 | NW 8 | — | SSE 3 | N 8 | — | NNW 10 | WNW 8 | NW 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 8 | 53 | — | — | 2 | 439 | 381 | — | 4 | 804 | — | 601 | 92 | 346 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 238 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 99 | 99 | 2 | 803 | 719 | 441 | 441 | 285 | 317 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Balnakiel Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Balnakiel Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Balnakiel Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Balnakiel Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Balnakiel Bay surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Balnakiel Bay) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Balnakiel Bay may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Scotland - North Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Balnakiel Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Scotland - North Coast, consider staying in Scrabster which is 72 km (45 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Wick which is 99 km (61 miles) away
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