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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 12 am Sunday 17 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 Sunday (May 17) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m 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 16 days are 2.4m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 21) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (May 19) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sun 17th May) | 5ft (1.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Sun 17th May) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 21st May) | 8ft (2.4m) 13s |
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 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 10°C on Mon afternoon, min 7°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, strong winds from the SE by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu night, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Wed night, calm by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 16 | W 14 | WSW 13 | W 12 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | W 10 | |
1001 | 1349 | 1088 | 687 | 524 | 290 | 154 | 104 | 38 | 301 | 590 | 1872 | 280 | 209 | 149 | 78 | 106 | 150 | 140 | 91 | 51 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | |
High Tide | 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 | 3:28PM2.36m | 3:32AM2.69m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 8:55AM0.53m | 9:07PM1.01m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | |  | |  | | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 4:37 | — | — | 4:35 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:30 | — | — | 4:28 | — | — | 4:26 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:42 | — | — | 9:44 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:50 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:54 |
2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 7 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 16 | W 14 | NNE 8 | W 12 | W 7 | W 11 | W 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | W 10 |
 kJ | 1001 | 1349 | 1088 | 687 | 524 | 290 | 154 | 104 | 38 | 301 | 590 | 6 | 280 | 97 | 149 | 78 | 106 | 150 | 140 | 91 | 51 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | WSW 10 | NNE 7 | — | NNE 8 | WSW 11 | NW 8 | WSW 5 | NW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | N 6 | W 4 |
| kJ | 144 | 92 | 69 | 49 | 73 | 49 | 32 | 19 | 11 | 39 | 5 | — | 6 | 209 | 42 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 15 | W 15 | W 13 | W 12 | N 9 | — | — | NW 5 | NNE 7 | NW 7 | WSW 5 | S 3 | NE 7 | N 6 | N 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 17 | 31 | 26 | 2 | — | — | 13 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 13 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | — | SE 4 | — | WSW 3 | W 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | 13 | 22 | 33 | 10 | 10 | 35 | 1872 | 278 | 51 | 20 | — | 12 | — | 4 | 13 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 58 | 119 | 119 | 8 | 41 | 19 | 55 | 336 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 73 | 343 | 203 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orkney Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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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