Surf Forecasts:
The Bowl surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 27 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, WNW swell with 1,500 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 27 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Bowl this week:
The surf forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Bowl in the next 16 days are 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for The Bowl.
Overall, this is a pretty rough stretch of the summer. For the first week, the wind is a real problem – mostly cross or cross-on, and often strong. The swell isn’t bad at times, but the conditions are just messy. We’ve got a long, frustrating gap with poor surf quality until things finally start to clean up at the end of next week.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Monday 27 July. The morning is looking promising at The Bowl. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell from the west, with a period of 9 seconds, and the wind is light and cross-off shore. The combined energy is moderate at 520. The water temp is a cool 55°, which is about average for this time of year. That morning session is the standout here – it’s the only time in the forecast where the wind is kind and the swell is surfable. The Bowl is an advanced reef break, so it’s for the experienced crew. That afternoon, the wind shifts to light offshore from the south, but the swell drops to 6ft with a short 6-second period, so it’ll be a bit weaker and less organised.
The rest of the run is a write-off until the very end. By Saturday 1 August, the swell drops right off, and the wind finally turns light and offshore or cross-off, but the waves are tiny – only 3ft to 3ft from the north-northwest with a short period. It’s clean, but it’s flat. The combined energy is weak (around 140-153). Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate.
After that, the forecast goes completely flat with tiny 2ft to 2ft swell and messy cross-winds. There’s a weak bounce in the energy on the afternoon of Tuesday 4 August, but it’s still cross-shore and choppy, so no good.
So, the one and only true standout is Monday 27 July morning at The Bowl. Clean, cross-off wind, a solid 5ft west swell with enough period to wrap in. Get it while you can, because the rest of the 16 days is a bust.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the WNW on Mon morning, strong winds from the WNW by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Thu night, moderate winds from the W by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 6 | W 7 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | NW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 165 | 192 | 209 | 225 | 464 | 557 | 322 | 280 | 237 | 206 | 487 | 632 | 1391 | 1288 | 1382 | 1298 | 1022 | 970 | 1236 | 510 | 277 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 2:04PM4.29m | 2:03AM4.58m | 2:54PM4.11m | 2:57AM4.31m | 3:51PM3.98m | 4:00AM4.08m | 4:54PM3.95m | 5:13AM3.94m | 6:01PM4.00m | 6:29AM3.92m | 7:01PM4.14m | 7:34AM4.01m | 7:51PM4.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:46PM2.13m | 8:29AM1.81m | 8:40PM2.34m | 9:27AM2.09m | 9:49PM2.49m | 10:35AM2.28m | 11:12PM2.51m | 11:45AM2.35m | 00:26AM2.39m | 12:46PM2.31m | 1:24AM2.19m | 1:36PM2.21m | 2:10AM1.96m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  |  | |  | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | |
 | 4:37 | — | — | 4:39 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:46 | — | — | 4:48 | — | — | 4:50 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:01 | — | — | 10:00 | — | — | 9:58 | — | — | 9:55 | — | — | 9:53 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:50 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | — | — | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | — | — | NNW 8 | NNW 9 |
| kJ | 83 | 33 | 71 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1298 | 1022 | — | — | 510 | 277 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | N 6 | N 9 | — | — | — | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 23 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 6 | W 7 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 10 | — | — | WNW 10 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | 165 | 192 | 209 | 225 | 464 | 557 | 322 | 280 | 237 | 206 | 487 | 632 | 1391 | 1288 | 1382 | — | — | 970 | 1236 | 409 | 275 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 266 | 1688 | 418 | 830 | 954 | 418 | 332 | 446 | 36 | 29 | 1680 | 421 | 421 | 1268 | 421 | 35 | 1106 | 531 | 538 | 35 | 45 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Bowl 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 The Bowl Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Bowl provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Bowl can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Bowl 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 (The Bowl) 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 The Bowl 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 Scotland - North Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near The Bowl, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Scotland - North Coast, consider staying in Scrabster which is 7 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Scotland - North Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Wick which is 39 km (24 miles) away and Kirkwall, 56 km (35 miles) away.
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