Birsay Bay

Birsay · Scotland · United Kingdom

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Birsay Bay (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/birsay-bay.

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Birsay Bay is at the north-west corner of Orkney's Mainland, near the tidal island of the Brough of Birsay. Reefs around the bay and the brough pick up a lot of swell. It is a remote spot with very few surfers.

Level
Advanced
Break
Reef break, rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Quiet
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard.

When it works

✓ A 1–2 m west to north-west swell with an easterly to south-easterly wind.

When it doesn't

✕ Westerly and northerly winds blow in, and big swells make the reefs dangerous.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • rips

Best months

September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

Local tips

Look at it for a while before paddling out, as the reefs are shallow in places. The causeway to the Brough of Birsay is only open at low tide. Never surf alone here.

Getting there

Follow the A966 to Birsay village and the car park by the Earl's Palace and the Brough road.

Travel notes

How often it works
Fairly consistent. It faces the Atlantic and gets most west and north-west swells.
Crowd and vibe
Usually empty.
Camping and vans
Birsay Hostel and Campsite is about 1.5 km away. Nearest campsite about 1.5 km away.
Facilities
Few services in Birsay; shops in Stromness and Kirkwall.
Water quality
Not a designated bathing water, so there is no official water quality result here.

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, WSW–N works
Size
1–2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.7 m, holds to 3 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore ENE–SE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
W (265°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

Nearby spots

All spots in Scotland · All spots

Sources