Bay of Skaill Surf Break

Lat Long: 59.05° N 3.34° W

Bay of Skaill Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 pm 19 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bay of Skaill sea temperature is
13.3°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 19 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 23 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, W swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 25 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, W swell with 7,955 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 21 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 12s period with W 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 Monday (Sep 21) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Bay of Skaill in the next 16 days are 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 25) 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 1.2m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 24) at 10PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Mon 21st Sep)7.5ft (2.3m) 12s
Best Surf 7AM (Wed 23rd Sep)10ft (3.0m) 14s
Most Powerful 4PM (Fri 25th Sep)13ft (4.0m) 16s

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


Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon night, min 10°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (gales from the WSW on Sat night, light winds from the S by Sun night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Wed morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Mainly strong winds.

Sat
19
Sunday
20
Monday
21
Tuesday
22
Wednesday
23
Thursday
24
Friday
25
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
0
0
0
2
2
2
0
0
2
1
0
1
2
1
1
4
!
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
4.5
W
10
5.5
W
11
5
W
10
4.5
WNW
10
3
W
12
2.1
W
12
1.7
W
11
1.9
W
10
2.2
W
10
1.9
W
10
2.5
W
14
2.5
W
14
2.5
W
13
2.3
WNW
12
1.9
WNW
11
1.8
WNW
12
1.7
W
12
2.5
W
16
4
W
16
3
W
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
4539
7574
4914
3860
2405
1229
688
652
938
696
2299
2775
2499
1343
894
887
765
3619
7955
4356
Wind (km/h)
60
WSW
65
W
55
WNW
55
WNW
30
W
35
S
25
SW
25
SSW
30
WSW
35
W
20
W
30
W
30
WNW
15
W
40
SSE
45
SSE
35
S
25
S
5
S
20
NNW
Wind State
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
off
off
off
off
cross-off
on
High Tide
4:24AM2.03m
4:56PM2.16m
5:56AM2.11m
6:12PM2.32m
6:55AM2.26m
7:01PM2.53m
7:36AM2.45m
7:38PM2.74m
8:10AM2.63m
8:10PM2.93m
8:40AM2.80m
8:41PM3.09m
Low Tide
9:31PM1.29m
10:14AM1.41m
11:37PM1.23m
11:59AM1.29m
00:45AM1.01m
12:53PM1.08m
1:26AM0.75m
1:31PM0.85m
1:59AM0.50m
2:05PM0.64m
2:30AM0.26m
2:37PM0.45m
3:01AM0.07m
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
cloud
clear
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
mod rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:52
6:54
6:56
6:58
7:00
7:03
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:22
7:20
7:16
7:14
7:10
7:07
7:05
 mm
1
4
1
1
1
6
Temp °C
13
13
12
12
12
11
15
17
14
12
12
12
12
11
11
14
15
16
15
12
Feels °C
1
0
1
1
5
3
10
14
9
5
8
6
6
6
3
5
7
12
14
10
  • 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