Bay of Skaill Surf Break

Lat Long: 59.05° N 3.34° W

Bay of Skaill Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 12 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bay of Skaill sea temperature is
13.5°C
1.0° 

Bay of Skaill surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Bay of Skaill surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, WNW swell with 7,356 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period with WNW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bay of Skaill this week:

The surf forecast for Bay of Skaill over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Bay of Skaill in the next 16 days are 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore 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 (Sep 12) at 10AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Sat 12th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 13s
Best Surf10AM (Sat 12th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 13s
Most Powerful10PM (Thu 17th Sep)15ft (4.5m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Skaill over the next 16 days.


Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sat morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun night, min 12°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSE on Fri night, calm by Mon afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon night, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Mon night, strong winds from the NW by Tue night).

Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
!
0
0
2
2
3
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
WNW
13
3.5
WNW
12
2.5
WNW
12
2.1
WNW
11
1.8
WNW
10
1.1
NNW
12
1
NNW
12
1.5
W
9
1.3
W
11
2
W
11
1.2
W
10
1.8
WNW
9
1.8
W
9
1.5
W
10
1.6
W
10
2.4
W
9
3.5
W
12
4.5
WNW
14
4
WNW
13
3.5
WNW
12
2.5
W
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2422
3633
1946
979
628
350
303
348
382
890
277
589
533
426
453
876
3235
7333
5019
3287
1857
Wind (km/h)
45
SSW
40
WNW
30
W
20
W
10
WSW
25
SSE
25
S
20
WSW
25
SSE
30
W
35
W
45
NW
30
NW
25
W
40
S
35
W
45
WSW
45
W
40
WSW
40
WSW
45
SW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
off
cross-off
cross
off
cross
cross
on
cross-on
cross
off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
10:06AM3.12m
10:12PM3.41m
10:39AM3.09m
10:48PM3.30m
11:11AM3.01m
11:23PM3.11m
11:43AM2.88m
00:00AM2.88m
12:17PM2.71m
00:39AM2.61m
12:55PM2.51m
1:26AM2.35m
1:46PM2.30m
2:37AM2.13m
Low Tide
4:05PM0.10m
4:32AM-0.14m
4:41PM0.13m
5:06AM0.03m
5:16PM0.24m
5:38AM0.27m
5:51PM0.42m
6:11AM0.55m
6:28PM0.64m
6:46AM0.84m
7:08PM0.89m
7:27AM1.11m
8:02PM1.13m
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
light rain
light rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:35
6:37
6:39
6:43
6:45
6:47
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:44
7:40
7:37
7:35
7:31
7:29
7:25
 mm
6
1
1
8
1
1
1
2
3
2
2
3
Temp °C
14
13
12
12
12
15
15
14
14
13
13
11
10
12
13
12
12
12
13
13
13
Feels °C
6
5
5
8
9
10
10
11
13
7
7
2
4
6
7
4
3
4
5
5
3
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Bay of Skaill:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Bay of Skaill 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 Bay of Skaill Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Bay of Skaill provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bay of Skaill can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bay of Skaill 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 (Bay of Skaill) 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 Bay of Skaill 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 Orkney Islands? If you are looking for accommodation near Bay of Skaill, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Orkney Islands, consider staying in Kirkwall which is 23 km (14 miles) away. Other places in and around Orkney Islands where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Scrabster which is 50 km (31 miles) away and Wick, 71 km (44 miles) away.

Nearest locationNearest