Surf Forecasts:
The Bowl surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, NNW swell with 494 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period with N 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 Sunday (Aug 30) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m 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 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s on at The Bowl for the next couple of weeks.
Truth is, it’s a rough stretch. The Bowl is a reef break for advanced crew only, and it’s well-exposed to swell, but the wind and conditions are mostly stuffed for a long time. Water temp is normal for the season, nothing to write home about.
The first real chance to think about it is Saturday, August 30th. That morning you’ve got a 7ft swell from the NNW with a short 8-second period, and combined energy is moderate at 503. The wind is cross-shore though, making it choppy and only marginal. Not great.
Then there’s a gap until Tuesday, September 1st. That morning, a 3ft N swell with 8 seconds – combined energy 141 – and a light SE cross-off wind. It’s clean, but the waves are just ordinary. Not a standout.
The next proper look is Saturday, September 5th. That morning, a solid 8ft W swell with a 10-second period, combined energy strong at 1146. The wind is moderate from the W, cross-shore, so it’s marginal. By afternoon, it’s 8ft from the WNW, still cross-shore and marginal. That’s big – over 8ft is expert-only.
The best of the whole lot is Sunday, September 6th afternoon. A 3ft W swell with an 8-second period, combined energy 220, and the wind goes light SE, cross-off. It’s clean, and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions”. That’s your window. The swell direction is W, but the optimum for The Bowl is NW, so it’s a bit off, but the glassy conditions make it the pick.
After that, September 8th gets wild – 13ft from the NW with 47 mph winds from the W. That’s a severe gale, combined energy 2636. That’s not for paddle boards, that’s kite stuff or just stay home. The rest of the week is messy or poor.
So, if you’re hanging for a wave, the 6th of September afternoon is the one. Crowds at The Bowl are sometimes, so you might get lucky and have it quiet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Mon afternoon). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | W 8 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NNE 4 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | N 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 29 | 12 | 22 | 67 | 57 | 35 | 11 | 20 | 42 | 120 | 209 | 289 | 494 | 450 | 235 | 152 | 100 | 76 | 115 | 39 | 77 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:43AM4.38m | 8:45PM4.70m | 9:14AM4.57m | 9:16PM4.89m | 9:44AM4.72m | 9:46PM5.03m | 10:13AM4.81m | 10:16PM5.11m | 10:42AM4.84m | 10:47PM5.13m | 11:13AM4.82m | 11:19PM5.06m | 11:47AM4.72m | 11:55PM4.92m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:35PM1.88m | 2:59AM1.48m | 3:08PM1.68m | 3:31AM1.30m | 3:40PM1.52m | 4:03AM1.17m | 4:11PM1.43m | 4:35AM1.10m | 4:44PM1.40m | 5:08AM1.12m | 5:17PM1.45m | 5:43AM1.23m | 5:54PM1.57m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  | | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 10 |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 |
Feels °C | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | ESE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | W 9 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | N 7 | N 7 |
| kJ | 29 | 12 | 10 | 67 | 57 | 35 | 10 | 48 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 450 | 235 | 152 | 100 | 76 | 25 | 39 | 77 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 7 | WNW 11 | N 8 | N 7 | ESE 6 | W 8 | W 7 | N 8 | — | — | W 10 | N 13 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | NW 6 | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | — | 5 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 37 | 47 | 1 | 37 | 53 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | N 6 | N 6 | N 9 | — | — | — | S 6 | — | W 11 | W 10 | W 11 | W 11 | NW 6 | — | — | NNW 12 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 2 | — | — | 52 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | ENE 3 | NNE 4 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | N 4 | NNW 5 |
| kJ | 11 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 42 | 120 | 209 | 289 | 494 | — | — | — | — | — | 115 | 17 | 37 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 170 | 170 | 82 | 9 | 17 | 176 | 299 | 214 | 171 | 86 | 86 | 21 | 45 | 45 | 50 | 303 | 813 | 21 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
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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