Surf Forecasts:
The Bowl surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period, W swell with 5,460 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s 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 Saturday (Sep 12) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Bowl in the next 16 days are 4.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what The Bowl is cooking up for the next couple of weeks. It’s a reef wave, built for the advanced crew, and not the place to be learning the ropes. The water’s sittin’ at about 57°F, which is pretty standard for this time of year, so no crazy anomalies to report.
The first few days are pretty grim, to be honest. Friday the 11th has some swell, but that 30 km/h westerly wind has got the surface all torn up – it’s lumpy and not worth your time. Saturday the 12th morning shows 8ft of WNW swell, but the wind is fresh and conditions are only marginal. It just doesn’t feel right. This mess carries through the weekend until Monday the 14th morning, which drops down to 3ft from the NNW with clean offshore wind. It’s small, but it’s doable. Nothing special.
Now, the real standout, the one you’ve been waiting for, is Thursday the 24th afternoon. We’re talking a massive 20ft groundswell from the west, with a 12-second period – that’s a terrifying amount of energy, and the combined energy number is astronomical (10856). The wind is light and offshore from the SSE, so The Bowl will be absolutely perfect and glassy clean. This is strictly for experts at this size, but if you can handle it, this is the session of the whole forecast. It’s the one.
Before that, there are some other moments. Thursday the 17th afternoon has 15ft of W swell with clean cross-off winds – solid and clean, but very powerful (4875). Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th have similar size but the wind turns messy. Then from the 21st into the 22nd, we get near gale-force winds, so stay home. Wednesday the 23rd morning looks much nicer with 6ft from the WNW and light offshore airflow – a smaller, cleaner option if the giant stuff spooks you. And then, obviously, that Thursday the 24th afternoon is the big dance.
The tail end on Friday the 25th morning still has a solid 10ft WNW groundswell with offshore wind – good for the experienced – but it’s not the same level as the day before. By Saturday the 26th, the wind is howling again, so that’s all she wrote.
So here’s the deal: the first week is mostly a wash. The one true standout, the one to circle in red, is Thursday the 24th of September afternoon. The Bowl can get crowded sometimes, so get in early. That’s the one you don’t miss.
Later, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Sat morning, light winds from the NW by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the NW by Tue night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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 9 | W 10 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | W 7 | W 10 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | W 11 | WNW 12 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 607 | 884 | 2377 | 3642 | 1881 | 1008 | 663 | 318 | 313 | 349 | 237 | 440 | 234 | 747 | 709 | 504 | 750 | 2505 | 4875 | 5351 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 9:38PM5.31m | 10:12AM5.01m | 10:14PM5.32m | 10:45AM4.94m | 10:49PM5.21m | 11:16AM4.81m | 11:23PM5.00m | 11:47AM4.64m | 11:58PM4.71m | 12:19PM4.44m | 00:35AM4.38m | 12:56PM4.22m | 1:21AM4.04m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:55AM0.82m | 4:05PM1.28m | 4:31AM0.90m | 4:40PM1.32m | 5:06AM1.09m | 5:15PM1.44m | 5:39AM1.36m | 5:50PM1.64m | 6:12AM1.69m | 6:27PM1.89m | 6:47AM2.04m | 7:09PM2.16m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — |
 | 7:46 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — |
mm | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 6 | — | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 15 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | W 10 | WNW 13 | SE 7 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | N 10 | W 10 | — | NNW 8 | W 10 | N 8 | N 8 | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 884 | 2377 | 8 | 1881 | 1008 | 663 | 289 | 313 | 349 | 237 | 104 | 234 | — | 307 | 504 | 48 | 19 | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | WNW 14 | N 9 | — | — | NNW 15 | NNW 13 | NNW 12 | WNW 9 | NNW 12 | N 11 | SE 6 | N 10 | — | N 9 | NNW 8 | S 4 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 534 | 6 | — | — | 42 | 173 | 318 | 132 | 236 | 154 | 2 | 71 | — | 24 | 159 | 9 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | N 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | — | — | — | — | N 8 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | SSW 4 | WNW 13 | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SSE 3 | — | S 3 | W 7 | W 6 | WNW 10 | W 10 | — | W 9 | W 10 | W 11 | WNW 12 |
| kJ | 607 | — | 34 | 3642 | — | — | — | 2 | 9 | — | 4 | 440 | 158 | 747 | 709 | — | 750 | 2505 | 4875 | 5351 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 34 | 0 | 421 | 176 | 10 | 34 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 34 | 936 | 183 | 21 | 10 | 759 | 668 | 700 |
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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