Snow-ForecastSnow-ForecastMountain-ForecastMountain-ForecastTide-ForecastTide-ForecastWeather-ForecastWeather-Forecast
Search by country, region, or break
Search by country, region, or break

Quick Links

Surf Forecasts:

Birsay Bay surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 11 am Saturday 17 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 Monday (Jan 19) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 16s 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 3.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jan 24) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jan 23) at 12PM.

Wave TypeTime (GMT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6PM (Mon 19th Jan)10ft (3.0m) 16s
Best Surf 6PM (Mon 19th Jan)10ft (3.0m) 16s
Most Powerful 3AM (Sat 24th Jan)11ft (3.5m) 17s

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 Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Sat afternoon, min 6°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the S on Sun night, strong winds from the SSE by Mon night).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Wed afternoon). Winds increasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Tue morning, gales from the ESE by Thu night).

Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
3
!
!
!
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1.9
W
1.5
W
1.2
W
1
W
0.9
W
0.7
W
0.6
WNW
2.2
WNW
3.5
WNW
3.5
WNW
3
WNW
2.3
W
1.7
W
1.4
W
1
W
0.9
W
2.1
WNW
3
W
2.4
W
2.2
W
3
W
Period(s) (?)131212111110201716161514131312121916141417
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)12336893932331789625629985386531939732216101864329521730084563234619725758
Wind
(km/h)
35
SSE
30
SE
30
SSE
30
SSE
35
SSE
40
SSE
25
S
30
SSE
45
SSE
40
SSE
30
SE
45
SSE
55
SE
50
SE
55
SSE
55
SE
55
SE
60
SE
70
ESE
70
ESE
55
SE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off		offcross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		offcross-
off		cross-
off		offoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoffoff
High Tide
/ height (m)
8:12PM
2.68
8:25AM
2.93
8:47PM
2.74
8:58AM
3.05
9:21PM
2.77
9:29AM
3.13
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
Low Tide
/ height (m)
2:04PM
0.59
2:12AM
0.59
2:40PM
0.43
2:46AM
0.48
3:15PM
0.30
3:18AM
0.40
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
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
21
Thursday
22
Friday
23
Sunrise8:52--8:49--8:48--8:47--8:45--8:42--8:41--
Sunset-3:53--3:56--3:59--4:00--4:02--4:06--4:07-
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
clear
light rain
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
part cloud
cloud
light rain
Rain (mm)
--1--1-----------2--4
Temp. °C788678887888767777665
Feels °C (?)-111-1-1020-311-2-5-6-5-5-5-6-9-9-9
  • 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

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves
Ben Mondy

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves

Huntington, Dribbleton, Virginia, Holland and the Superbank! We recently had a look at the world’s most consistent waves. This was based on the combination of swells and wind directed at 7,000 surf spots, as compiled from our data since 2006. Those stats, represented in easy-to-read graphics, are located under each wave’s spot guides, with historical swell and wind breakdowns available by month, season, and year. There is also an offshore filter, which shows how often the swells come with clean

Read more

Read more

Discover more articles and updates in the Greenroom.

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.

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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest