Surf Forecasts:
The Bowl surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 19 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 23ft (7.0m), 14s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 25ft (7.5m), 14s period, W swell with 22,464 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 15s. 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 7.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 19th Sep) | 23ft (7.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 25ft (7.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s comin’ down the pipe.
The first real chance for a surf out at The Bowl is Sunday the 13th, and honestly, that's the standout of the whole 16-day run. It's a reef setup that takes a north-west swell, so it needs the right angle, and this time the conditions line up nicely. On Sunday morning, we’ve got a clean, cross-off breeze with a solid 7ft swell from the WNW, with moderate wave energy (1050). The water temperature is 56°F, which is pretty average for this time of year. The wind stays light in the arvo, going glassy, with the swell settling slightly to 6ft but still clean— perfect for some afternoon sessions. Just be aware, it can get a crowd here sometimes, so get in early for the best of it.
Before that, Saturday the 12th is a write-off. A gnarly 25 mph cross-shore wind is messing up a 12ft WNW swell, creating messy cross-chop. That's a hard pass.
Looking further out, things get real interesting but also real heavy. Monday the 18th has a big clean pulse of swell— 13ft early, 10ft in the afternoon, both from the WNW— with a cross-off wind. The energy is strong (6031), but with that size (over 8ft), this is strictly for experienced surfers only. There's an off chance it could be good if you’re elite-level, but the quality is marginal.
From the 19th through the 21st, it gets blown out and monstrous. Saturday the 19th shows 18ft and a 34 mph gale – not surfing conditions, that’s survival. Sunday the 20th has a massive 21ft swell with near-gale cross-shore winds, and the energy reading is a massive 16886. That’s way too big for this break and dangerous for anyone.
The window from the 22nd through the 27th drops down in size, but the winds are mostly cross or cross-off and the quality is just ordinary. Nothing worth getting excited about.
So, the short story: your one good, clean session is Sunday the 13th at The Bowl. Get it while you can because after that, it’s either heavy and messy or just flat and weak.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Sat afternoon, calm by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Tue night, light winds from the SSW by Wed night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | W 11 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 | W 11 | N 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 15 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | W 12 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3387 | 2067 | 1008 | 650 | 276 | 254 | 262 | 311 | 267 | 319 | 258 | 395 | 379 | 304 | 372 | 568 | 8347 | 6019 | 3347 | 2934 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 1:43PM4.00m | 2:27AM3.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 7:27AM2.38m | 8:04PM2.43m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  |  | | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:27 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 13 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 7 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | W 11 | SE 6 | W 10 | W 11 | N 8 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | WNW 15 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | N 9 |
| kJ | 8 | 2067 | 1008 | 650 | 276 | 254 | 262 | 311 | 267 | 1 | 153 | 367 | 273 | 304 | 86 | 44 | 8347 | 6019 | 3347 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 15 | NNW 13 | NNW 12 | WNW 9 | NNW 12 | N 11 | N 10 | — | SE 6 | — | W 11 | W 9 | — | W 17 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 42 | 127 | 271 | 132 | 232 | 149 | 96 | — | 2 | — | 379 | 211 | — | 5 | 18 | 12 | 12 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 13 | — | — | — | — | S 3 | S 3 | — | — | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | SSE 3 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | W 12 |
| kJ | 3387 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | — | — | 319 | 258 | 395 | 149 | 2 | 372 | 568 | — | — | — | 2934 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 191 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 622 | 668 | 239 | 309 | 0 | 332 | 423 | 38 | 813 | 453 | 1106 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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