Sandwood Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Sandwood Bay. It’s a beach and reef set-up up in Scotland, exposed to the north-west. Water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

Right now, we’re looking at a pretty quiet patch for the next couple of weeks. The surf is small and the conditions are just ordinary for the most part. There’s no real standout on the horizon until we get towards the end of the period.

On Monday the 13th, we’ve got tiny 2ft swell from the WNW at 8 seconds. The energy is weak (59). A light cross-off wind from the ENE keeps things clean, but it’s really nothing to write home about. Monday afternoon drops off even more.

Tuesday the 14th morning is the first real glimmer. The swell is still only 2ft, but the period jumps to 11 seconds, so there’s a bit more push from a WNW groundswell (energy 187). More importantly, it’s glassy – a light NE wind, practically nothing. That’ll make it clean, and for a tiny wave, it could be a fun little session if you’re keen. Tuesday afternoon gets a little cross-shore and the energy ticks up to 194 but the quality drops off.

Wednesday the 15th morning is glassy again, calm wind, but the swell is back to 2ft at 9 seconds (energy 70). It’s surfable but very ordinary.

After that, we hit a stretch of poor conditions. From Thursday the 16th all the way through to Wednesday the 22nd, the surf is just not cooperating. The swell is tiny, the winds are mostly onshore or strong cross-shore, and the energy readings are low to moderate at best. There’s a bit of bump in size on Sunday the 19th with 4ft from the NW but it’s a short period 6 second windswell with a cross-on wind, so it’ll be a messy chop. The 21st sees 4ft from the WNW with fresh cross-shore winds (energy 210), but again, the conditions are poor.

The next real notable moment comes on Thursday the 23rd afternoon. It’s glassy again, with clean conditions and a 2ft W swell at 8 seconds (energy 68). It’s not big, but it’s clean and rideable.

Then we get a real long-range promise on Tuesday the 28th of July. There's a 4ft swell rolling in from the W at 11 seconds (energy 476 – that’s solid moderate energy). The wind is light and cross-on from the west. It’s labelled as marginal, so the quality is still questionable, but this is the only time in the whole 16 days where the swell has some real size and period to it. It’s over two weeks away, so don't bank your life on it, but if you’re looking for the one to watch, that’s it. For experts, the 4ft could be fun on a good bank. Beginners might find it a bit much.

Overall, it’s a flat and frustrating run at Sandwood Bay. The glassy mornings on the 14th, 15th, and 23rd are your best bets for a clean, tiny wave session. The 28th holds the only promise of something bigger, but it’s a long way off.

Rusty.

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