Surf Forecasts:
The Bowl surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, WNW swell with 1,739 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with NNW 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 (Jul 26) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (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 again. Let’s break down The Bowl in feet and all that.
The start of the forecast is a bit of a dud. Winds are messy and the swell is junky, so don’t bother paddling out just yet.
Things get a bit more interesting on Sunday the 26th of July. We’ve got a 5ft to 6ft swell from the west and north-northwest, but it’s coming with a cross-onshore breeze, so it’s gonna be choppy. The energy is moderate (1104 combined). Not a day to get excited about.
Monday the 27th cleans up nicely. The wind goes cross-offshore, and we’ve got 6ft to 7ft of west swell with a 10-second period. Energy is solid (998) and the conditions are clean. Surfable, for sure.
Now, the one to really wait for is Saturday the 1st of August. Early morning we’re looking at a 13ft swell from the west-northwest, with an 11-second period. That’s massive energy—3981 combined. The wind is light and offshore, so it’ll be glassy. The Bowl will be pumping, but this is for experts only. The direction is close to dead-on for this reef, so the shape should be there.
If that’s too heavy, Tuesday the 4th of August morning is another banger: an 12ft west swell, 9-second period, and light offshore wind. Strong energy (2007) and clean conditions. Still big, but a little friendlier than the 13ft day.
Wednesday the 5th of August morning is also a standout, with 8ft from the west-northwest and light offshore winds. Very good waves for those who can handle it.
Water temp is sitting at 55°F right now, which is pretty standard for this time of year.
The rest of the period is mostly smaller and less consistent, but if you can hit that Saturday morning or the Tuesday after, you’ll be rewarded.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Wed afternoon). Mainly strong winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sat morning, calm by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 10 | NNW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 413 | 237 | 231 | 276 | 383 | 688 | 929 | 997 | 1219 | 1625 | 1352 | 1196 | 509 | 477 | 600 | 711 | 919 | 1057 | 763 | 506 | 318 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 8:24AM4.15m | 8:32PM4.50m | 9:05AM4.29m | 9:09PM4.66m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 2:18PM2.06m | 2:49AM1.76m | 2:55PM1.92m | 3:24AM1.58m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | 4:41 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:46 | — | — | 4:48 | — | — | 4:50 | — | — | 4:52 | — | — | 4:54 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:58 | — | — | 9:55 | — | — | 9:53 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:50 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:45 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 13 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 10 | W 10 | N 9 | N 8 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 7 | 23 | 23 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 509 | 477 | 300 | 711 | 79 | 35 | 763 | 506 | 318 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 9 | W 10 | — | NNW 10 | — | — | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 297 | 313 | — | 150 | — | — | 21 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 298 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | — | W 10 | — | W 10 | W 10 | — | SSE 3 | — |
| kJ | 413 | 237 | 231 | 276 | 383 | 688 | 929 | 997 | 1219 | 1625 | 1352 | 1196 | — | — | 600 | — | 919 | 1057 | — | 3 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 332 | 446 | 63 | 478 | 880 | 424 | 577 | 678 | 678 | 186 | 813 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 369 | 345 |
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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