Beach
both
Level 4/10

Dunnet Bay

Caithness, UK
🌀Strong rips🪨Rocks

Dunnet Bay is the friendly face of Caithness surfing--a broad sandy beach that offers a gentler introduction to the region.

10-Day Forecast
Today9
0
Poor
1.6m@8s
27km/h
Mon10
11
Poor
1.8m@9s
25km/h
Tue11
10
Poor
1.0m@8s
19km/h
Wed12
15
Poor
0.5m@3s
18km/h
Thu13
0
Poor
0.6m@9s
18km/h
Fri14
0
Poor
0.8m@8s
19km/h
Sat15
5
Poor
0.9m@9s
15km/h
Sun16
18
Poor
0.9m@7s
10km/h
Mon17
26
Poor
0.6m@7s
10km/h
Tue18
30
Poor
0.6m@9s
13km/h
Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: MorningAM 20 km/h · PM 31 km/h · Tide at 5am (3.4m)
Swell
1.6m
W(278°)
Score: 16/25
Period
8s
Short period / windswell
Score: 7/25
Wind
27km/h
W(262°)
Score: 1/25
Weather
14°C
0.0mm53%
First light 4:51amSunrise 5:21amSunset 9:16pmLast light 9:46pm
Windswell1.2m@4sSecondary0.2mConfidence
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: 8:14am–3:50pm · through lowStrike window: 8:48–9:46pm · droppingIdeal tide: mid
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
12°
14°
14°
15°
13°
11°
11°
12°
12°
12°
9°
12°
15°
17°
16°
15°
18°
20°
23°
23°
16°
18°
19°
19°
18°
13°
15°
15°
15°
14°
12°
13°
14°
15°
14°
12°
12°
14°
14°
14°
11°
12°
14°
14°
14°
10°
11°
13°
13°
13°
2m1.0
sec
8s
8s
8s
8s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
8s
8s
8s
8s
8s
7s
7s
3s
3s
3s
3s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
8s
8s
8s
8s
8s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
swell
windkm/h
17g29
23g41
27g47
32g58
30g53
21g37
27g46
28g51
23g41
22g40
9g14
17g30
22g39
22g38
22g38
13g21
16g26
21g36
21g37
17g28
12g17
16g28
21g39
20g36
19g34
8g16
17g30
22g39
24g43
22g39
13g22
13g23
15g31
18g36
19g34
11g21
10g21
12g25
10g26
8g25
7g12
7g16
11g23
14g28
12g33
10g16
12g19
14g26
14g27
13g26
tidem
5:48am3.4m
12:01pm1.6m
6:24pm3.5m
12:40am1.3m
7:04am3.4m
1:05pm1.1m
7:25pm3.6m
1:39am0.7m
8:06am3.6m
1:57pm0.9m
8:16pm3.9m
2:28am0.4m
8:55am3.9m
2:44pm0.8m
8:59pm4.3m
3:16am0.2m
9:40am4.0m
3:27pm0.6m
9:41pm4.4m
4:00am0.0m
10:18am3.9m
4:08pm0.5m
10:22pm4.3m
4:40am0.0m
10:58am3.9m
4:49pm0.6m
5:20am0.2m
11:35am3.8m
5:28pm0.7m
5:58am0.5m
12:10pm3.6m
6:06pm0.9m
Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

5:48 am
High tide - 3.43m
12:01 pm
Low tide - 1.57m
6:24 pm
High tide - 3.53m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

0
Poor
Components
Swell Direction5/25
Swell Size16/25
Swell Period7/25
Wind1/25
Raw Score29/100
Adjustments
🤢 Wind History-17
🌊💨 Windswell-5
💨 Gusty Wind-5
⚠️ Weak Component-5
Adjusted Score0/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score0
🤢 Morning Sickness🌊💨 Windswell

Plan Your Strike

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

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
NNW (330°)
Direction range
280° - 20°
Size range
0.9m - 2.5m
Ideal size
2.0m
Height multiplier
1.00×
Ideal period
12s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
S (180°)
Offshore range
100° - 200°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
mid

Water temp

9°C

Wetsuit

6/5mm + boots, gloves, hood

Difficulty

4/10

Crowd level

2/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Dunnet Bay?

Dunnet Bay works best on a mid tide. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Dunnet Bay?

Offshore wind at Dunnet Bay blows from the S (180°). Anything in the 100° to 200° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Dunnet Bay?

Dunnet Bay wants NNW swell (280° to 20°) between 0.9m and 2.5m, with a period of 12s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Dunnet Bay?

The main season at Dunnet Bay is Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. A secondary window runs May, Aug.

How do I get to Dunnet Bay?

Fly into WIC, then allow about 20 minutes by road.

What kind of wave is Dunnet Bay?

Dunnet Bay is a beach break, a peak with lefts and rights. Difficulty is rated 4/10.

Best Season

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

Secondary: May, Aug

Getting There

Airport
WIC
Drive time
20 min
Data quality
verified

Strike Log

Community Discussion