Surf Forecasts:
Birsay Bay surf forecast from 15 Oct 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 18 Oct, 10PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 15 Oct, 1PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 15s period, W swell with 12,551 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 17 Oct, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 12s period with N swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Birsay Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Birsay Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Oct 17) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.6m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Birsay Bay in the next 16 days are 5.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Oct 15) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Oct 21) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 17th Oct) | 5ft (1.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 18th Oct) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Thu 15th Oct) | 18ft (5.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Birsay Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Thu morning, light winds from the SSW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon afternoon, min 8°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the SSE by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 15 | Friday 16 | Saturday 17 | Sunday 18 | Monday 19 | Tuesday 20 | Wednesday 21 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 14 | W 13 | W 12 | NNW 14 | NNW 13 | NNW 13 | N 12 | N 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 13 | WNW 15 | WNW 16 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 15877 | 10266 | 3188 | 1505 | 1587 | 1750 | 1192 | 884 | 640 | 441 | 792 | 2532 | 1198 | 5393 | 4570 | 2739 | 1901 | 1230 | 799 | 497 | 266 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 11:41AM2.77m | 00:08AM2.55m | 12:19PM2.58m | 00:54AM2.31m | 1:08PM2.38m | 2:01AM2.10m | 2:25PM2.23m | 3:42AM1.99m | 4:02PM2.20m | 5:13AM2.05m | 5:18PM2.31m | 6:13AM2.20m | 6:11PM2.47m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:01PM0.63m | 6:13AM0.87m | 6:42PM0.85m | 6:53AM1.09m | 7:34PM1.06m | 7:46AM1.27m | 8:51PM1.20m | 9:09AM1.38m | 10:37PM1.17m | 10:52AM1.33m | 11:54PM0.98m | 12:02PM1.15m | 00:40AM0.74m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | |  | |
 | 7:48 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:03 | — | — |
 | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:51 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Feels °C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 24 | — | W 13 | W 12 | W 11 | NNW 13 | NNW 13 | N 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 13 | W 12 | WNW 16 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 12 |
| kJ | 108 | — | 3188 | 1505 | 1456 | 1750 | 1192 | 884 | 640 | 441 | 792 | 2532 | 1027 | 5393 | 4570 | 2739 | 1901 | 1230 | 799 | 497 | 266 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 13 | NW 11 | NNW 14 | W 12 | W 12 | W 12 | N 12 | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | WNW 15 | N 10 | — | — | N 12 | — | N 13 | N 12 | N 11 |
| kJ | — | — | 1738 | 702 | 1587 | 963 | 792 | 702 | 638 | 376 | 242 | 114 | 1198 | 18 | — | — | 3 | — | 3 | 25 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NNW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 17 | — | N 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 449 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 97 | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 15877 | 10266 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 54 | 108 | 161 | 186 | 186 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 183 | 230 | 55 | 61 | 939 | 126 | 55 | 55 | 8 | 53 | 8 | 53 | 0 | 19 | 58 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 102 | 77 |
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 Birsay 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 Birsay Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Birsay Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Birsay Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Birsay 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 (Birsay 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 Birsay 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 Orkney Islands? If you are looking for accommodation near Birsay Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Orkney Islands, consider staying in Kirkwall which is 26 km (16 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 58 km (36 miles) away and Wick, 79 km (49 miles) away.
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