The Bowl Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.62° N 3.65° W

The Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 18 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Bowl sea temperature is
13.7° C
0.2° 

The Bowl surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Bowl surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 11s period, W swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, W swell with 670 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 12s 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. 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 1.7m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Wed 19th Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 12s
Best Surf 4AM (Wed 19th Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 11s
Most Powerful10PM (Mon 24th Aug)5.5ft (1.7m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let's look at the surf for The Bowl over the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a slow burner, but there's a serious pulse of energy brewing way out in the deep blue by the end of it.

Right off the bat, the first week and a half is pretty grim. We're looking at a run of small, messy waves with onshore winds and poor conditions. The swell is weak, with combined energy readings mostly in the low hundreds, like 88 on Monday the 17th, and the surf is only around 2ft. It’s not going to be worth getting wet for. There’s a slight bump in size on the 19th and 20th with some 5ft to 5ft swell, but it's coming from the north and northeast with cross-onshore and onshore winds blowing 18-19 mph, so it's going to be a complete write-off. It's not until the morning of Monday the 24th that we see a small, clean window. The wind goes light offshore from the SSE and we get some 2ft waist-high waves at The Bowl (Grand Cayman). It's not big, but it's glassy and clean, so the rare few might get some fun little ones. The energy is still weak at 68, but at least it's an option.

From there, the second week rolls in with slightly better conditions but still pretty average surf. The morning of Tuesday the 26th looks like another clean one with light winds and 3ft waves from the west, but the energy is only moderate at 227, so keep expectations in check.

The real story, though, is the last few days of the month and the start of September. The surf starts to pick up on Saturday the 29th, getting to 6ft by the afternoon, and then keeps building through the 30th and 31st. The real standout is the morning of Monday the 31st of August. We've got a solid 6ft of west swell at 10 seconds, and the wind is a fresh offshore southerly at 18 mph. The combined wave energy is strong at 661, and the wave comment says it's "fresh offshore and clean". That's going to be the pick of the bunch for a proper session. It’ll be pumping and clean. The swell direction is straight west, which is what The Bowl likes to see.

But hold on, because the real monster is the one after that. Tuesday the 1st of September is when things get serious. The morning shows a massive 21ft of west swell, but with a strong cross-shore westerly wind at 25 mph. The energy reading is a whopping 13,180, which is just insane. However, the wave comment says "strong cross-shore with messy cross-chop," and the surf quality is ranked as poor. This thing is going to be a beast, and probably a complete mess with that wind on it. The afternoon of that day calms down to a still-huge 13ft, and the wind drops to a moderate cross-shore westerly at 12 mph. The energy is still massive at 5,980. This is for experts only, no doubt about it. 13ft is way beyond anything for a beginner or intermediate. The period is 14 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell, so it will have some serious push. With that size and the cross-shore wind, it could be a life-changing day for the right crew, but it's a dangerous one too. It might be more interesting for the kites out there than for your standard paddle surfer.

So, to sum it up: don't hold your breath for the first week. The clean windows on the 24th and 26th are only small. Mark your calendar for the morning of Monday, August 31st for the best combination of size and clean conditions. And if you're a big-wave charger, Tuesday, September 1st is the one to watch, but be ready for a wild, powerful ocean that's only for the very experienced.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ESE on Mon night, calm by Tue night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
N
7
0.5
N
8
1
W
12
1.4
W
11
1.2
W
10
0.8
W
10
1.7
N
7
1.5
N
8
1.6
N
7
1.5
N
8
1.3
N
9
1
N
9
1.2
NNW
9
1.2
NNW
5
1.1
NNW
6
0.5
NNE
8
0.6
WNW
8
0.6
W
8
0.4
WNW
12
1.1
WNW
11
1.7
W
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
24
29
285
448
300
124
306
313
254
284
263
165
238
75
93
35
54
44
56
303
651
Wind (km/h)
20
ESE
10
NW
5
W
20
ENE
20
NE
20
NNE
25
N
25
N
25
NNW
25
NW
25
NW
25
WNW
25
NNW
25
NW
20
NW
15
NW
15
NW
10
SSE
10
SE
20
SE
25
SE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
cross
cross-on
on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
1:10PM4.35m
1:17AM4.51m
1:52PM4.13m
2:06AM4.17m
2:44PM3.95m
3:10AM3.88m
3:54PM3.84m
4:38AM3.72m
5:18PM3.86m
6:14AM3.76m
6:34PM4.01m
7:22AM3.94m
7:29PM4.24m
Low Tide
6:55AM1.57m
7:03PM1.99m
7:36AM1.93m
7:49PM2.25m
8:23AM2.27m
8:51PM2.49m
9:29AM2.54m
10:25PM2.60m
11:03AM2.65m
00:01AM2.49m
12:23PM2.55m
1:05AM2.25m
1:18PM2.35m
1:49AM1.97m
mod rain
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:39
5:41
5:43
5:47
5:48
5:50
5:52
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:54
8:52
8:49
8:46
8:44
8:40
8:37
 mm
7
4
1
1
Temp °C
14
15
13
13
13
12
12
12
11
12
11
12
12
11
11
13
14
13
14
16
13
Feels °C
12
13
12
9
8
8
6
6
5
6
5
7
7
5
6
10
11
13
11
12
9
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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