Bay of Skaill surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 pm Friday 21 Nov 2025 GMT
Forecast 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
10.8° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)


Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bay of Skaill this week:

The surf forecast for Bay of Skaill over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Nov 23) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m 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 12 days are 5.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Nov 28) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Friday (Nov 28) at 12PM.

Wave TypeTime (GMT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12AM (Sun 23rd Nov)5.5ft (1.7m) 11s
Best Surf 3PM (Wed 26th Nov)10ft (3.0m) 9s
Most Powerful12PM (Fri 28th Nov)16ft (5.0m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Skaill over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 10°C on Fri night, min 7°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, fresh winds from the N by Mon afternoon).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Tue morning, strong winds from the SSW by Tue night).

Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Fri
28
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
2
3
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
!
1
0
0
1
0
!
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1.9
W
1.9
W
1.9
W
1.7
W
1.5
W
1.4
W
1.2
W
1.1
W
1.2
W
1.1
W
1.1
W
1
W
1.3
W
2.2
WSW
3
W
1.8
W
1.9
W
2
W
2.5
W
5
WNW
5
W
Period(s) (?)91212111111111111101099891099111616
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)6419551080720573510345274332249225164264650144670656260318031281812794
Wind
(km/h)
20
WSW
30
W
25
WSW
5
S
30
SE
30
E
35
NE
35
NNE
35
N
30
N
15
NNW
20
WSW
30
SSW
40
SSW
30
WSW
25
WSW
40
WSW
40
WSW
35
SW
45
WSW
40
SW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
crosscrosscrossglasscross-
off
cross-
off
crosscross-
on
onononcrosscross-
off
cross-
off
crosscrosscrosscrosscross-
off
crosscross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
9:06PM
2.83
9:18AM
2.93
9:40PM
2.74
9:52AM
2.87
10:15PM
2.60
10:27AM
2.77
10:53PM
2.45
11:06AM
2.67
11:37PM
2.29
11:51AM
2.56
12:35AM
2.17
12:46PM
2.48
1:48AM
2.11
1:52PM
2.44
Low Tide
/ height (m)
3:13AM
0.52
3:37PM
0.46
3:47AM
0.60
4:13PM
0.54
4:21AM
0.70
4:53PM
0.65
4:58AM
0.81
5:36PM
0.75
5:39AM
0.93
6:26PM
0.83
6:27AM
1.04
7:24PM
0.85
7:29AM
1.13
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Fri
28
Sunrise-8:19--8:22--8:25--8:26--8:29--8:30--8:33-
Sunset--3:37--3:34--3:33--3:32--3:30--3:29--3:27
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
clear
part cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
mod rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
cloud
Rain (mm)
11-112121---11265111-
Temp. °C1099999987777891010121210910
Feels °C (?)3236121-1-3-321-1134543-12
  • 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

Latest Updates

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 12 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
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest