Surf Forecasts:
Birsay Bay surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, NNW swell with 284 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period with WSW swell.
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 Wednesday (Aug 12) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Birsay Bay in the next 16 days are 1.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Birsay Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Sat afternoon). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Fri night, light winds from the ENE by Sun morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | WSW 12 | W 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 11 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | W 9 | WSW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 157 | 72 | 38 | 47 | 225 | 254 | 213 | 229 | 209 | 157 | 133 | 56 | 148 | 69 | 125 | 264 | 212 | 86 | 46 | 173 | 132 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 8:28PM3.13m | 9:06AM2.98m | 9:14PM3.34m | 9:50AM3.06m | 9:57PM3.46m | 10:32AM3.07m | 10:38PM3.48m | 11:11AM3.02m | 11:17PM3.39m | 11:49AM2.93m | 11:57PM3.21m | 12:27PM2.79m | 00:37AM2.96m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:21PM0.45m | 2:53AM0.05m | 3:06PM0.27m | 3:39AM-0.15m | 3:48PM0.16m | 4:21AM-0.24m | 4:28PM0.12m | 5:01AM-0.21m | 5:07PM0.16m | 5:40AM-0.07m | 5:46PM0.28m | 6:17AM0.16m | 6:24PM0.46m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:20 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:14 | — | — | 9:10 | — | — | 9:08 | — | — | 9:06 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:00 | — | 8:58 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 13 | 12 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 11 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 6 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | W 8 | W 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 11 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | N 10 | W 9 | N 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | W 9 | WSW 9 |
| kJ | 157 | 72 | 38 | 29 | 225 | 254 | 213 | 229 | 209 | 157 | 66 | 56 | 39 | 69 | 125 | 264 | 212 | 86 | 46 | 173 | 132 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 11 | N 10 | N 9 | N 11 | N 10 | N 9 | N 10 | N 9 | NNW 9 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 10 | N 7 | N 7 |
| kJ | 25 | 15 | 15 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 59 | 72 | 61 | 79 | 46 | 41 | 2 | 23 | 45 | 92 | 52 | 21 | 33 | 37 | 28 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WSW 12 | — | N 12 | N 8 | E 6 | E 6 | N 11 | — | — | — | NW 10 | N 8 | — | — | W 8 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 47 | — | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 21 | — | — | — | 4 | 21 | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 3 | S 4 | SSE 4 | S 3 | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | W 9 | W 4 | W 9 | W 5 | NNW 5 | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 3 |
| kJ | 2 | 9 | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 133 | 6 | 148 | 66 | 42 | — | — | — | 9 | 7 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 8 | 58 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 102 | 343 | 484 | 1013 | 570 | 102 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orkney Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
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.
Nearest