Rackwick Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Orkney Islands, UK)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Rackwick Surf Guide

Rackwick in Orkney is an exposed break. that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds are from the northeast with some shelter here from southeast winds. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the ideal swell angle is from the west northwest.. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded. Submerged rocks are a hazard.

Rackwick Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
-	4	fairly consistent	8.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Rackwick:

The best conditions reported for surf at Rackwick occur when a West-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Rackwick (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Rackwick with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 20% of the time in June while 46% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 34% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

20%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

46%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

34%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Rackwick Location Map

Interactive Rackwick surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Rackwick is Kirkwall Airport (KOI) in Scotland, 29 km (18 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Rackwick is Wick Airport (WIC) in U.k., 49 km (30 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Rackwick Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 19:29 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06			Thu
ft, °F	4PM	7PM	10PM	1AM
Wave (m)	NNW	NNW	NNW	NNW
Period (s)	9	9	9	10
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	cross	cross	cross

What does Rackwick look like?

Latest photos from Rackwick. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Adam Jarman Credit: Adam Jarman Credit: Adam Jarman

Tides at Rackwick

Current tide and informaton

For Rackwick, 0 km from Rackwick.

Next High Water: 12:05am | 2.65m

Next Low Water: 06:34am | 0.76m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Rackwick Sea Temperature

Very cold water temperature (8.7 °C) at Rackwick. Despite the sunshine, even with a thick winter wetsuit, neoprene hood, gloves and boots it will be difficult to stay comfortable in the sea for long today.

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.