Birsay Bay surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 pm Saturday 07 Mar 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
7.5° C
(Which is 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 Sunday (Mar 08) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Birsay Bay in the next 12 days are 6.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Mar 11) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Mar 12) at 3AM.

Wave TypeTime (GMT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Sun 8th Mar)11ft (3.5m) 14s
Best Surf 9AM (Sun 8th Mar)11ft (3.5m) 14s
Most Powerful 9PM (Wed 11th Mar)20ft (6.0m) 16s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Sat night, min 6°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Sun morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Tue afternoon).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue night. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Tue night, min 5°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (severe gales from the WSW on Wed morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri afternoon).

Sunday
08
Monday
09
Tuesday
10
Wednesday
11
Thursday
12
Friday
13
Sat
14
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
!
!
!
4
3
3
2
2
!
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
4
W
3.5
W
3
W
2.5
W
2.5
W
2.4
WNW
2.1
WNW
2.4
W
3
W
2.5
W
2.5
W
5
WSW
5.5
W
5
WSW
5
WSW
4.5
WSW
4.5
W
4
W
3
W
3.5
W
3.5
W
Period(s) (?)141414131413131212111313161312131616141414
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)6101444833052069249819301408169921431567200884201359682037662639596417776410656485553
Wind
(km/h)
20
SSE
10
SSE
10
SE
5
SSW
10
WNW
5
SW
20
SW
35
SSW
20
S
50
S
55
SSW
70
WSW
50
S
50
SSW
65
SSW
55
SW
40
SW
35
WSW
40
WSW
40
W
35
WNW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off
offoffcross-
off
cross-
on
crosscrosscross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
on
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
crosscrosscrosscross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
11:01PM
2.82
11:15AM
2.85
11:32PM
2.65
11:50AM
2.60
12:07AM
2.46
12:33PM
2.35
12:55AM
2.27
1:39PM
2.12
2:18AM
2.11
3:29PM
2.01
4:12AM
2.12
5:10PM
2.09
5:31AM
2.29
Low Tide
/ height (m)
5:06AM
0.48
5:26PM
0.57
5:40AM
0.69
5:59PM
0.84
6:18AM
0.92
6:38PM
1.10
7:08AM
1.16
7:35PM
1.32
8:35AM
1.33
9:25PM
1.42
10:49AM
1.28
11:15PM
1.29
12:00PM
1.05
Sunday
08
Monday
09
Tuesday
10
Wednesday
11
Thursday
12
Friday
13
Sat
14
Sunrise-6:50--6:48--6:45--6:43--6:39--6:37--6:33-
Sunset--5:57--6:00--6:01--6:05--6:07--6:08--6:12
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
light rain
rain showers
light rain
thunderstorm
cloud
clear
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
Rain (mm)
---------31-1113--412
Temp. °C1179977789987766666777
Feels °C (?)534443221-1-8-8-4-5-9-7-4-3-3-2-1
  • 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

Latest Updates

submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Birsay Bay:

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 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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest