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Birsay Bay Surf Forecast
/ Scot – Orkney (6 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Birsay Bay surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 6 am Saturday 16 May 2026 BSTForecast 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
8.9° 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 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (May 16) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Birsay Bay in the next 16 days are 2.1m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 20) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (May 19) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 16th May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Sun 17th May) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 20th May) | 7ft (2.1m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Birsay Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 10°C on Sun night, min 7°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, strong winds from the SE by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 10°C on Tue morning, min 8°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the SE on Tue afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
N 9 | N 9 | W 12 | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 16 | WSW 7 | W 13 | W 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | |
538 | 351 | 362 | 1001 | 1349 | 1088 | 776 | 524 | 347 | 190 | 106 | 55 | 125 | 555 | 490 | 289 | 213 | 1400 | 441 | 265 | 125 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | on | off | cross-on | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | off | glassy | on | |
High Tide | 9:04PM3.17m | 9:22AM3.25m | 9:46PM3.24m | 10:12AM3.22m | 10:31PM3.24m | 11:04AM3.10m | 11:19PM3.18m | 12:00PM2.90m | 00:13AM3.07m | 1:02PM2.67m | 1:13AM2.92m | 2:12PM2.47m | 2:20AM2.79m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:59PM0.02m | 3:20AM0.11m | 3:43PM0.04m | 4:06AM0.02m | 4:28PM0.13m | 4:55AM0.01m | 5:14PM0.29m | 5:46AM0.09m | 6:03PM0.48m | 6:42AM0.24m | 6:56PM0.69m | 7:45AM0.40m | 7:56PM0.88m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | |  | |
 | 4:39 | — | — | 4:37 | — | — | 4:35 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:30 | — | — | 4:28 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:39 | — | — | 9:42 | — | — | 9:44 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:50 | — | — | 9:52 |
— | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 6 | |
Temp °C | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 |
1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 11 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | N 9 | N 9 | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 7 | NNE 9 | W 7 | W 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 |
 kJ | 23 | 351 | 210 | 1001 | 1349 | 1088 | 776 | 524 | 347 | 190 | 106 | 55 | 72 | 7 | 202 | 289 | 213 | 1400 | 441 | 265 | 125 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | W 8 | W 12 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 9 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | W 13 | W 16 | N 8 | W 13 | WNW 6 | NW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 |
| kJ | 10 | 50 | 362 | 118 | 96 | 80 | 72 | 77 | 51 | 33 | 20 | 31 | 125 | 1 | 490 | 55 | 97 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | WNW 14 | WNW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 15 | W 15 | NNE 8 | W 12 | — | NNE 8 | NW 9 | W 6 | SE 7 | N 8 | NE 8 | N 8 |
| kJ | 20 | 69 | 126 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 17 | 11 | 26 | — | 6 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | S 3 | S 4 | WSW 7 | — | S 3 | SSW 4 | — | SE 2 | SSE 3 | — |
| kJ | 538 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 14 | 24 | 58 | 5 | 18 | 555 | — | 7 | 20 | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 103 | 74 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 204 | 84 | 58 | 0 | 230 | 471 | 230 | 102 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 60 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orkney Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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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