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Surf Forecasts:

Birsay Bay surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Tuesday 20 Jan 2026 GMT
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
8.7° C
 (Which is slightly warmer than usual)

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 Sunday (Jan 25) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. 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 2.2m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jan 28) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Jan 22) at 12AM.

Wave TypeTime (GMT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6PM (Sun 25th Jan)4.5ft (1.3m) 13s
Best Surf 6PM (Tue 27th Jan)6ft (1.8m) 17s
Most Powerful12AM (Wed 28th Jan)7ft (2.2m) 16s

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

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Tue afternoon, min 3°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (strong winds from the SE on Tue afternoon, severe gales from the SE by Wed night).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Temperatures will be slightly above freezing (max 4°C on Fri afternoon, min 3°C on Sat afternoon). Winds decreasing (near gales from the ESE on Fri afternoon, calm by Sun night).

Tue
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Saturday
24
Sunday
25
Monday
26
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
!
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
3
W
2.2
W
1.6
W
1.2
W
1
W
0.7
W
1.1
W
1.5
W
1.3
W
1.1
W
0.8
W
1.7
W
1.9
W
2
W
1.8
W
1.5
W
1.1
W
0.8
W
0.7
W
0.6
W
0.4
WNW
Period(s) (?)151413131212171513131216161615141312111115
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)3569203390247329513471694057241118413971705205313908933981751168275
Wind
(km/h)
50
SE
60
SE
65
ESE
75
SE
75
SE
75
SE
70
SE
75
ESE
70
ESE
60
ESE
60
ESE
50
ESE
50
ESE
45
ESE
35
E
20
E
5
SE
5
SE
10
ESE
25
ESE
30
E
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
offoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffcross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		glassoffcross-
off		offcross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
9:54PM
2.77
10:00AM
3.16
10:27PM
2.75
10:32AM
3.14
11:01PM
2.70
11:06AM
3.07
11:39PM
2.63
11:44AM
2.96
12:23AM
2.54
12:30PM
2.80
1:15AM
2.44
1:28PM
2.63
2:21AM
2.37
Low Tide
/ height (m)
3:49PM
0.21
3:51AM
0.37
4:23PM
0.16
4:25AM
0.38
4:59PM
0.16
5:00AM
0.45
5:36PM
0.23
5:39AM
0.56
6:16PM
0.35
6:23AM
0.71
7:04PM
0.53
7:17AM
0.86
8:03PM
0.72
8:28AM
0.99
Tue
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Saturday
24
Sunday
25
Monday
26
Sunrise--8:45--8:42--8:41--8:40--8:37--8:36--8:33
Sunset4:00--4:02--4:06--4:07--4:10--4:13--4:15--
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
Rain (mm)
--223--222111--------
Temp. °C886766554444333443455
Feels °C (?)-3-3-8-9-9-10-11-10-11-10-10-8-9-9-6-2-1-1-1-2-3
  • 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

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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 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.

View detailed surf forecast for Birsay Bay at:
surf-forecast.com

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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