Surf Forecasts:
The Bowl surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, NNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s period, N swell with 388 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s 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 (Aug 02) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. 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 1.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the outlook for The Bowl over the next 16 days is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor conditions, with only a glimmer of something interesting way down the line.
The pattern starts with a whole lot of nothing. From Friday, the 31st of July, right through to the 10th of August, the surf is a write-off. We’re talking about a solid 10 days where the swell is weak, the wind is messy, and the quality just isn’t there. There’s a close call or two in there, like Sunday the 2nd of August afternoon with a light breeze and 4 ft of swell, but the cross-on wind and marginal conditions mean it’s not worth getting excited about. The combined energy barely cracks 300 (310), and it’s just not clean. The rest of that stretch is even worse – small, choppy, and blown out.
The real standout, if you can wait for it, arrives on Tuesday the 11th of August. Tuesday morning is the pick. The Bowl is going to see a solid 8 ft of swell from the NNW, with a combined energy reading of 885 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is cross-off from the SE at 12 mph, which will keep the surface clean. Now, this is a reef break, and at 8 ft it’s strictly for advanced surfers only. The period is a short 8 seconds, so it’s not a classic groundswell, but the size and the clean cross-off wind will make for some powerful, challenging waves. Keep in mind, The Bowl is fairly consistent, but crowds are sometimes an issue, so expect company.
Monday the 10th of August has a small pulse of 4 ft on the afternoon, but the cross-on wind from the NW at 16 mph ruins it. It’s a hard pass. After the 11th, the swell drops off fast. Wednesday the 12th of August has a tiny bit of surf, with a glassy morning on the 12th afternoon – 2 ft from the NNE and a dead calm wind. That’s a pretty sight, but the wave energy is only 85, so it’s small and weak. The rest of the second week, from the 13th to the 15th of August, fades back into the same old story of poor conditions, small swell, and onshore winds.
The water temperature at The Bowl is around 56°F, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
The one true standout is Tuesday the 11th of August morning. It’s powerful, clean, and for experts only. Everything else is a waiting game.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | ||||||||||||||
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 6 | W 7 | WNW 6 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | WNW 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 92 | 58 | 88 | 118 | 144 | 191 | 190 | 380 | 332 | 275 | 140 | 109 | 65 | 45 | 42 | 42 | 40 | 35 | 34 | 17 |
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 | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:44PM4.94m | 11:14AM4.61m | 11:15PM4.95m | 11:46AM4.59m | 11:48PM4.91m | 12:20PM4.52m | 00:23AM4.81m | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | 1:46PM4.29m | 1:55AM4.48m | 2:44PM4.17m | 3:01AM4.28m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:37PM1.63m | 5:03AM1.31m | 5:10PM1.63m | 5:36AM1.32m | 5:43PM1.68m | 6:12AM1.38m | 6:19PM1.78m | 6:50AM1.50m | 6:59PM1.93m | 7:34AM1.68m | 7:47PM2.10m | 8:27AM1.89m | 8:50PM2.27m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | |  | |  | | |  | | | |  | | | |
 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — |
 | — | 9:38 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:32 | — | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:28 | — | — | 9:24 |
mm | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 7 | N 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | NNE 7 |
| kJ | 25 | 23 | 88 | 118 | 144 | 137 | 190 | 380 | 332 | 275 | 140 | 109 | 65 | 45 | 42 | 42 | 40 | 35 | 34 | 15 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | NW 5 | W 11 | W 10 | — | — | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 |
| kJ | 16 | 9 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 110 | 52 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | NNW 10 | — | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | E 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 5 | — |
| kJ | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | 7 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | — | — | E 3 | ESE 3 | SE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | E 4 | E 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 92 | 58 | 86 | 62 | 91 | 191 | — | — | 7 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 7 | 816 | 832 | 207 | 45 | 170 | 0 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 65 | 34 | 59 | 17 | 63 | 864 | 17 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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.
Nearest