Birsay Bay surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 6 am Monday 20 Oct 2025 BST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Birsay Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Birsay Bay sea temperature is
12.8° C
(Which is 1.5°C warmer than normal for this time of year)


Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Birsay Bay this week:

The surf forecast for Birsay Bay over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Oct 20) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Birsay Bay in the next 12 days are 5.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Oct 24) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Monday (Oct 20) at 1PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Mon 20th Oct)1.5ft (0.4m) 11s
Best Surf10AM (Thu 23rd Oct)5ft (1.5m) 11s
Most Powerful10PM (Fri 24th Oct)16ft (5.0m) 11s

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

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, near gales from the WSW by Tue night).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Thu morning, gales from the N by Fri night).

Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
2
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.4
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.4
N
0.8
N
1.1
N
1.3
N
3
W
2.3
W
1.8
W
1.5
N
2.2
W
1.7
N
2.4
N
4
N
5
N
5
N
4
N
3.5
N
2.5
N
2.2
N
1.6
N
Period(s) (?)121110991188811111091011111110101111
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)484033101202375117066942752611075849372893517254933960249011841130585
Wind
(km/h)
45
ESE
15
S
5
SE
25
SSE
15
WSW
50
WSW
45
WSW
30
SSW
20
SSW
15
ENE
10
NE
25
NNE
55
NNE
60
N
60
NNW
65
N
60
N
55
NNW
35
NNW
25
WNW
55
WNW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
offcross-
off
glassoffcrosscrosscrosscross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
crosscrosscross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
oncross-
on
cross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
8:49PM
3.05
9:14AM
2.98
9:21PM
3.06
9:41AM
3.02
9:52PM
3.03
10:08AM
3.00
10:23PM
2.95
10:36AM
2.94
10:55PM
2.82
11:06AM
2.83
11:27PM
2.64
11:38AM
2.68
12:02AM
2.44
Low Tide
/ height (m)
2:48PM
0.40
3:06AM
0.16
3:18PM
0.33
3:35AM
0.20
3:49PM
0.30
4:04AM
0.28
4:20PM
0.33
4:34AM
0.41
4:52PM
0.42
5:04AM
0.57
5:25PM
0.56
5:37AM
0.75
6:02PM
0.74
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Sunrise8:00--8:03--8:04--8:07--8:10--8:12--8:15--
Sunset-5:53--5:51--5:47--5:45--5:43--5:39--5:37-
light rain
cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
light rain
rain showers
Rain (mm)
3-1--1--1--13-2212-17
Temp. °C13131313121111111111111110999988810
Feels °C (?)71112992344887-1-4-5-5-5-601-1
  • 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

Eyeball surf reportRecent Eyeball Surf Reports for Scot - Orkney

  1. weather stationWind Update Cross-off wind 76 km from Birsay Bay has swung offshore (light winds from the SE at Wick Airport). 0.3m 11s groundswell from the WNW with a 0.2m 10s swell from the NNW and a 0.2m 10s swell from the WSW. 3 swells combining to make bigger set waves.

    Birsay Bay
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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 12 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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