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Bay of Skaill Surf Forecast
/ Scot – Orkney (6 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Bay of Skaill surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 am Thursday 14 May 2026 BSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Bay of Skaill surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Bay of Skaill sea temperature is
8.7° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)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 (May 16) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bay of Skaill in the next 16 days are 2.1m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 17) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (May 19) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sat 16th May) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Sun 17th May) | 7ft (2.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sun 17th May) | 7ft (2.1m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Skaill over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Wed night, min 6°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the NNW on Thu night, calm by Sat afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 10°C on Mon afternoon, min 7°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Sun night, strong winds from the SE by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
N 8 | N 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | W 12 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 12 | W 13 | |
544 | 578 | 1140 | 1497 | 1243 | 618 | 349 | 241 | 295 | 1016 | 1567 | 1127 | 702 | 546 | 389 | 158 | 113 | 39 | 21 | 25 | 176 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | cross | |
High Tide | 7:02AM2.86m | 7:43PM2.85m | 7:48AM3.04m | 8:23PM3.04m | 8:35AM3.18m | 9:04PM3.17m | 9:22AM3.25m | 9:46PM3.24m | 10:12AM3.22m | 10:31PM3.24m | 11:04AM3.10m | 11:19PM3.18m | 12:00PM2.90m | 00:13AM3.07m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:31PM0.23m | 1:50AM0.49m | 2:15PM0.09m | 2:35AM0.27m | 2:59PM0.02m | 3:20AM0.11m | 3:43PM0.04m | 4:06AM0.02m | 4:28PM0.13m | 4:55AM0.01m | 5:14PM0.29m | 5:46AM0.09m | 6:03PM0.48m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | | | |  | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 4:45 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — | 4:39 | — | — | 4:37 | — | — | 4:35 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:38 | — | — | 9:40 | — | — | 9:44 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:47 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 |
-2 | -3 | -5 | -3 | -2 | -1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 8 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NE 10 | ENE 11 | W 12 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | W 12 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 13 |
 kJ | 363 | 248 | 28 | 12 | 3 | 618 | 349 | 241 | 295 | 1016 | 1567 | 1127 | 702 | 546 | 389 | 158 | 113 | 39 | 21 | 12 | 176 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 16 | — | — | W 12 | W 8 | WNW 7 | W 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | SE 8 | W 12 | W 12 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 5 | 5 | — | — | 3 | 29 | 17 | 52 | 165 | 96 | 71 | 50 | 33 | 33 | 37 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 25 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 14 | WNW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 16 | W 15 | W 13 | SE 8 | SE 8 | N 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 14 | 69 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 10 | NW 6 | — | — | SSE 3 | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 5 | SSE 4 | S 4 | S 4 | SE 8 | W 5 |
| kJ | 544 | 578 | 1140 | 1497 | 1243 | 62 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | 6 | 103 | 34 | 14 | 10 | 159 | 52 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 713 | 511 | 511 | 576 | 239 | 85 | 47 | 0 | 8 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 0 | 160 | 8 | 37 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orkney Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 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.
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