Slab
right
Level 9/10

Brimms Ness Bowl

Caithness, UK
🪸Sharp reef⚠️Shallow🪨Rocks😮‍💨Hold-downs🏝️Remote

Brimms Ness Bowl is one of Scotland's most fearsome waves--a thick, grinding slab that detonates over shallow reef on the remote Caithness coastline.

Brimms Ness Bowl surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast
Today23
30
Poor
2.4m@12s
17km/h
Thu24
20
Poor
1.6m@11s
23km/h
Fri25
46
Fair
3.9m@17s
19km/h
Sat26
44
Poor
2.5m@3s
22km/h
Sun27
42
Poor
1.6m@11s
16km/h
Mon28
48
Fair
1.4m@14s
13km/h
Tue29
0
Poor
1.1m@12s
24km/h
Wed30
0
Poor
0.8m@10s
24km/h
Thu1
15
Poor
0.6m@11s
25km/h
Fri2
23
Poor
0.9m@11s
16km/h
Groomed 5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: MorningAM 9 km/h · PM 22 km/h · High tide at 7am (2.8m)
Swell
2.4m
WNW(287°)
Score: 25/25
Period
12s
Medium period swell
Score: 19/25
Wind
17km/h
W(269°)
Score: 1/25
Weather
11°C
0.1mm76%
First light 6:31amSunrise 7:01amSunset 7:11pmLast light 7:41pm
Windswell0.7m@3sSecondary0.2mConfidence
100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 6:31–11:03am · through highStrike window: 2:47–7:41pm · through highIdeal tide: mid to high
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
°C
9°
11°
13°
13°
12°
7°
10°
13°
13°
14°
10°
12°
14°
14°
12°
8°
10°
14°
15°
13°
12°
12°
14°
14°
11°
7°
9°
13°
13°
10°
7°
9°
13°
13°
12°
12°
13°
15°
15°
14°
13°
14°
16°
16°
14°
11°
13°
15°
15°
12°
5m2.5
sec
14s
12s
12s
12s
12s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
18s
16s
16s
16s
15s
12s
3s
3s
3s
3s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
12s
12s
12s
12s
12s
10s
10s
10s
10s
10s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
swell
windkm/h
8g13
10g18
19g35
26g46
18g32
13g24
19g35
21g37
24g43
25g44
19g34
21g36
22g39
18g33
14g24
16g26
18g31
25g44
26g46
22g37
17g28
14g25
17g29
18g33
13g21
12g18
13g22
16g28
14g26
11g18
11g22
15g28
23g40
31g51
39g62
16g49
19g45
27g48
30g52
28g56
23g52
24g52
29g52
27g53
20g55
26g42
23g43
17g41
10g38
5g34
tidem
12:48am0.7m
7:02am2.8m
12:55pm0.9m
7:02pm3.2m
1:23am0.4m
7:39am3.0m
1:26pm0.8m
7:45pm3.8m
1:56am0.6m
8:06am3.7m
2:04pm0.8m
8:09pm3.9m
2:25am0.2m
8:40am3.7m
2:32pm0.5m
8:44pm4.2m
2:55am0.3m
9:09am4.0m
3:08pm0.5m
9:13pm4.2m
3:27am0.1m
9:42am4.0m
3:41pm0.3m
9:46pm4.1m
4:01am0.0m
10:18am4.0m
4:12pm0.6m
10:23pm4.4m
4:42am0.5m
10:41am3.9m
4:58pm0.2m
5:17am0.4m
11:33am3.6m
5:37pm0.7m
Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

12:48 am
Low tide - 0.73m
7:02 am
High tide - 2.83m
12:55 pm
Low tide - 0.95m
7:02 pm
High tide - 3.19m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

30
Poor
Components
Swell Direction2/25
Swell Size25/25
Swell Period19/25
Wind1/25
Raw Score47/100
Adjustments
Wind History-2
💨 Gusty Wind-5
⚠️ Weak Component-10
Adjusted Score30/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score30

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to INV, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
NNW (340°)
Direction range
300° - 360°
Size range
1.2m - 3.6m
Ideal size
2.3m - 3m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (200°)
Offshore range
160° - 250°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid to high

Water temp

9°C

Wetsuit

6/5mm + boots, gloves, hood

Difficulty

9/10

Crowd level

2/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Brimms Ness Bowl?

The Brimms Ness Bowl profile favors mid to high tide. Compare this preference with the forecast tide and local conditions before choosing a session.

What wind direction is offshore at Brimms Ness Bowl?

The Brimms Ness Bowl profile uses wind from SSW (200°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 160° to 250°. Wind speed matters too: light winds outside that range can still produce surfable conditions, while strong offshore winds can make takeoffs difficult.

What swell size and direction work best at Brimms Ness Bowl?

The Brimms Ness Bowl scoring profile favors swell from NNW (300° to 360°), a swell-height range of 1.2m to 3.6m, and a reference period of 14s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.

When is the best time of year to surf Brimms Ness Bowl?

The main season at Brimms Ness Bowl is Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar. A secondary window runs Apr, May, Aug. Autumn through winter

How do I get to Brimms Ness Bowl?

The spot profile lists INV as a nearby airport. The estimated road transfer is 130 minutes.

What kind of wave is Brimms Ness Bowl?

Brimms Ness Bowl is a slab break, a right-hander. Difficulty is rated 9/10.

Best Season

Peak: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

Secondary: Apr, May, Aug

Autumn through winter

Getting There

Airport
INV
Drive time
130 min
Data quality
verified

Plan a trip around Brimms Ness Bowl

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Strike Log

Community Discussion