Surf Forecasts:
The Bowl surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with 10,374 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period with WNW 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. 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 6.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 20ft (6.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s shaping up for The Bowl.
We’ve got a bit of a rough patch to start. The first real chance of a surfable wave hits Sunday, September 6th. Afternoon looks best with a 4ft swell out of the west, but it’s short period stuff around 8 seconds. The wind is offshore though, so it’ll be clean. Energy is weak at (200), so don’t expect much push. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is about 1° warmer than normal for this time of year, so pretty average.
The standout window, no question, is Saturday, September 12th. Early morning you’ll see the best conditions of the whole run. Glassy, offshore breeze from the south-southwest, and a 8ft west swell. The period’s only 6 seconds, so it’s a short, steeper wind swell, but with no wind it’ll be clean. Energy is moderate (545). This is a reef break, so with short period, it might not have the best shape, but in those glassy conditions, it could offer some fun ones. This is the one to circle.
Later that same day into Sunday the 13th, the swell jumps up to 10ft out of the west-northwest, with a longer 11 to 12-second period. But it’s cross-on wind, and the energy ramps way up (2239 to 2799). At 10ft, this is getting into expert-only territory, and with the wind, it’ll be messy. The Bowl can handle size, but the cross-on makes it a sloppy beast.
Looking further out, Tuesday, September 15th brings a monster. An 18ft west-northwest swell with a very long 16-second period – that’s serious groundswell energy (15233). Problem is, that’s way too big for this break. The word is it’ll be too big for the spot, so even though the wind is manageable, this one’s for the big-wave chargers only, and even then, it’s more of a spectacle than a session for most. Wednesday the 16th is still huge at 15ft, same long period, but still too much.
After that, it fades. Thursday the 17th is blown out, but then Friday the 18th afternoon has a clean, light offshore with a 6ft swell from the northwest, 8-second period. Not amazing, but a clean end to the run.
So, if I’m you: Sunday the 6th is a paddle-out, but keep your expectations low. The real standout is that glassy morning of Saturday the 12th. After that, it’s either too big and messy, or too small and windy. Stay safe out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the W on Fri afternoon, light winds from the SW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the S on Sun morning, strong winds from the W by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 10 | W 10 | WNW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 246 | 193 | 126 | 1143 | 7711 | 2494 | 1817 | 1177 | 374 | 103 | 108 | 113 | 374 | 966 | 1022 | 2550 | 8011 | 7103 | 2140 | 446 | 167 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:11PM4.38m | 1:32AM4.40m | 2:10PM4.17m | 2:47AM4.12m | 3:31PM4.04m | 4:29AM4.01m | 5:06PM4.09m | 6:11AM4.14m | 6:28PM4.33m | 7:23AM4.42m | 7:29PM4.65m | 8:16AM4.69m | 8:17PM4.95m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:23PM1.99m | 7:57AM2.02m | 8:29PM2.21m | 9:12AM2.31m | 10:04PM2.29m | 10:53AM2.41m | 11:44PM2.10m | 12:19PM2.25m | 00:56AM1.73m | 1:20PM1.99m | 1:50AM1.36m | 2:08PM1.71m | 2:35AM1.05m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | |  | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | N 9 | W 7 | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | WNW 11 | NW 11 | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 246 | 127 | 126 | 31 | 11 | — | — | — | 374 | 103 | 108 | 113 | 7 | 7 | 622 | 831 | — | — | — | 446 | 167 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | W 18 | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | NNE 8 | W 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | NNW 8 | NNW 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 6 | 66 | 31 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 55 | 39 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 330 | 66 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 9 | NW 8 | SE 4 | W 16 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 7 | SSW 4 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | — | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SW 4 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 10 | W 10 | WNW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | — | — |
| kJ | 236 | 193 | 13 | 1143 | 7711 | 2494 | 1817 | 1177 | — | 13 | 11 | 17 | 374 | 966 | 1022 | 2550 | 8011 | 7103 | 2140 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 424 | 34 | 8 | 531 | 1106 | 622 | 421 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 298 | 190 | 592 | 811 | 678 | 1106 | 523 | 816 | 380 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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