- Forecast
- Maps
- Live
- Weather State
- Spot Information
Surf Forecasts:
Rackwick surfForecast / Scot – Orkney / UK
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 am Saturday 23 May 2026 BSTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Rackwick surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Rackwick sea temperature is
9.0° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rackwick this week:
The surf forecast for Rackwick over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rackwick in the next 16 days are 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 26) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Wednesday (May 27) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sun 24th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sat 30th May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Tue 26th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rackwick over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun night, min 12°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the WSW by Mon afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Mon night, light winds from the S by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | Wednesday 27 | Thursday 28 | Friday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 5 | W 6 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 16 | W 13 | W 13 | W 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | W 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | |
65 | 99 | 182 | 279 | 73 | 131 | 1141 | 1439 | 2039 | 2053 | 1279 | 434 | 192 | 125 | 90 | 40 | 38 | 21 | 139 | 993 | 202 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | |
High Tide | 3:22PM2.41m | 3:24AM2.76m | 4:33PM2.40m | 4:32AM2.71m | 5:35PM2.47m | 5:33AM2.71m | 6:26PM2.58m | 6:27AM2.72m | 7:09PM2.68m | 7:14AM2.75m | 7:46PM2.78m | 7:56AM2.78m | 8:20PM2.85m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:46AM0.53m | 8:58PM1.02m | 10:02AM0.61m | 10:17PM1.07m | 11:12AM0.61m | 11:31PM1.01m | 12:10PM0.57m | 00:30AM0.89m | 12:58PM0.53m | 1:19AM0.75m | 1:39PM0.50m | 2:00AM0.62m | 2:16PM0.48m | 2:37AM0.52m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | |  | |  | | | | | |
 | 4:28 | — | — | 4:26 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:22 | — | — | 4:20 | — | — | 4:20 | — | — | 4:18 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:54 | — | — | 9:57 | — | — | 9:59 | — | — | 10:00 | — | — | 10:01 | — | — | 10:04 |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 11 | W 10 | W 8 | SE 6 | W 6 | W 10 | W 13 | — | — | — | WNW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 4 | N 6 | — | WNW 8 |
 kJ | 23 | 19 | 182 | 1 | 40 | 46 | 1141 | — | — | — | 1279 | 434 | 192 | 125 | 90 | 40 | 38 | 11 | 3 | — | 202 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | — | W 10 | W 16 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | N 6 | N 6 | WNW 8 | — | — | NNW 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 73 | 131 | — | — | — | — | — | 202 | 78 | 55 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 21 | — | — | 155 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 5 | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 20 | N 8 | N 7 | NW 6 | NW 6 | N 7 | — | — | W 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 41 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 6 | — | W 10 | — | W 7 | — | W 13 | W 11 | WNW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 3 | WNW 4 | W 6 | WNW 8 | — |
| kJ | 65 | 99 | — | 279 | — | 71 | — | 1439 | 2039 | 2053 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 139 | 993 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 204 | 376 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 29 | 25 | 420 | 318 | 315 | 36 | 21 | 27 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 434 | 309 | 36 | 0 |
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)
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 Rackwick 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 Rackwick Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rackwick provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rackwick can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rackwick 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 (Rackwick) 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 Rackwick 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 Rackwick, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Orkney Islands, consider staying in Kirkwall which is 27 km (17 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 30 km (19 miles) away and Wick, 52 km (32 miles) away.
Nearest