Birsay Bay surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 5 pm Wednesday 04 Feb 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
7.7° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)


Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Birsay Bay this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Birsay Bay in the next 12 days are 1.9m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Feb 10) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Feb 05) at 12AM.

Wave TypeTime (GMT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful12PM (Tue 10th Feb)6ft (1.9m) 17s

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

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Mild temperatures (max 5°C on Wed night, min 3°C on Thu afternoon). Winds decreasing (gales from the SE on Wed night, strong winds from the ESE by Fri morning).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun night. Mild temperatures (max 7°C on Sun night, min 4°C on Sat afternoon). Winds decreasing (gales from the SE on Sat night, moderate winds from the SSE by Mon morning).

Wed
04
Thursday
05
Friday
06
Saturday
07
Sunday
08
Monday
09
Tuesday
10
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.7
W
0.6
W
0.6
WNW
1.2
WNW
1.8
W
1.6
W
1.3
W
0.9
W
0.7
W
0.5
W
0.4
W
0.3
W
0.3
W
0.3
W
0.3
W
0.4
W
0.5
W
1.7
W
1.8
W
1.4
W
1.6
N
Period(s) (?)14132320181616141313131212121111221817169
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)1881214041188200013218323341738450262624213725118821799928430
Wind
(km/h)
60
ESE
60
SE
55
ESE
55
ESE
50
ESE
45
ESE
45
ESE
45
ESE
50
E
55
E
60
SE
55
SE
55
SE
50
SE
25
SSE
30
SE
30
SE
40
ESE
40
ESE
40
E
40
ENE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
offoffoffcross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
offoffoffoffcross-
off
offoffcross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
10:33PM
2.94
10:38AM
3.31
11:09PM
2.82
11:15AM
3.12
11:45PM
2.68
11:52AM
2.88
12:22AM
2.52
12:33PM
2.62
1:05AM
2.36
1:23PM
2.37
2:01AM
2.21
2:34PM
2.18
3:22AM
2.13
Low Tide
/ height (m)
4:23PM
-0.11
4:26AM
0.25
4:59PM
0.04
5:02AM
0.38
5:35PM
0.26
5:39AM
0.56
6:10PM
0.53
6:17AM
0.78
6:47PM
0.80
7:00AM
1.00
7:33PM
1.07
7:59AM
1.21
8:42PM
1.27
9:37AM
1.32
Wed
04
Thursday
05
Friday
06
Saturday
07
Sunday
08
Monday
09
Tuesday
10
Sunrise--8:14--8:11--8:08--8:07--8:03--8:02--7:58
Sunset4:37--4:39--4:43--4:45--4:47--4:50--4:52--
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
light rain
light rain
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
Rain (mm)
131-----123-14-------
Temp. °C454433444555577776555
Feels °C (?)-9-8-8-9-10-8-7-7-7-6-7-7-6-3100-4-5-6-6
  • 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