Slab

left

Level 10/10

Gills Bay Slab

Caithness, UK

🪸Sharp reef🪨Rocks😮‍💨Hold-downs⚠️Shallow🌀Strong rips🏝️Remote

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Gills Bay Slab is one of Europe's heaviest waves--a monstrous left-hand slab that only comes alive during the most violent winter storms.

Gills Bay Slab surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today23

Poor

0.6mW@13s

17km/h

0.6m@13s

17km/h

Thu24

Poor

0.6mW@10s

25km/h

0.6m@10s

25km/h

Fri25

Poor

1.0mWSW@17s

31km/h

1.0m@17s

31km/h

Sat26

Poor

0.6mW@3s

36km/h

0.6m@3s

36km/h

Sun27

Poor

1.1mSE@11s

28km/h

1.1m@11s

28km/h

Mon28

Poor

1.0mSSE@9s

24km/h

1.0m@9s

24km/h

Tue29

Poor

0.5mW@12s

22km/h

0.5m@12s

22km/h

Wed30

Poor

1.4mESE@10s

24km/h

1.4m@10s

24km/h

Thu1

Poor

1.4mESE@9s

26km/h

1.4m@9s

26km/h

Fri2

Poor

1.1mSE@9s

14km/h

1.1m@9s

14km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 10 km/h · PM 19 km/h · High tide at 8am (2.6m)

Swell

0.6m

W(270°)

Score: 0/25

Period

13s

Medium period swell

Score: 8/25

Wind

17km/h

WNW(283°)

Score: 1/25

Weather

12°C

0.0mm71%

First light 6:29amSunrise 6:59amSunset 7:09pmLast light 7:39pm

Windswell0.3m@2sSecondary0.1mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 6:29am–12:16pm · through highStrike window: 3:09–7:39pm · risingIdeal 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

10°

11°

13°

12°

8°

11°

13°

14°

11°

13°

14°

11°

12°

13°

14°

13°

14°

13°

11°

12°

13°

8°

10°

13°

12°

13°

15°

16°

15°

14°

15°

17°

16°

15°

12°

13°

15°

12°

2m1.0

sec

14s

12s

14s

12s

11s

18s

16s

14s

11s

12s

10s

swell

windkm/h

9g16

10g19

20g36

20g35

18g32

11g18

22g38

29g50

28g49

27g46

26g36

35g45

32g40

29g36

30g39

33g42

40g50

39g48

33g41

31g38

32g39

25g31

20g25

25g31

26g32

26g31

22g27

18g22

9g18

13g26

22g41

30g52

36g61

19g49

20g41

24g43

27g51

30g63

25g58

29g57

27g56

23g54

25g44

22g43

15g41

8g39

2g37

tidem

1:35am0.8m

8:26am2.6m

1:41pm1.0m

8:14pm2.9m

2:11am0.5m

8:55am2.7m

2:12pm0.8m

8:50pm3.3m

2:42am0.6m

9:16am3.2m

2:51pm0.8m

9:06pm3.4m

3:13am0.2m

9:44am3.2m

3:19pm0.5m

9:41pm3.6m

3:44am0.2m

10:11am3.5m

3:57pm0.5m

10:07pm3.6m

4:16am0.1m

10:40am3.4m

4:31pm0.3m

4:54am0.0m

11:15am3.4m

5:05pm0.5m

5:36am0.5m

11:30am3.4m

5:57pm0.2m

6:16am0.4m

12:17pm3.1m

6:40pm0.7m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

1:35 am

Low tide - 0.77m

8:26 am

High tide - 2.59m

1:41 pm

Low tide - 0.98m

8:14 pm

High tide - 2.85m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction0/25

Swell Size0/25

Swell Period8/25

Wind1/25

Raw Score9/100

Adjustments

🌊💨 Windswell-3

💨 Gusty Wind-5

⚠️ Weak Component-15

📉 Undersized Swell-9

⚖️ Penalty Stack Cap+7

🚫 Undersized Capmax 15

Adjusted Score0/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score0

Plan Your Strike

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

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Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: NNE (15°)
Direction range: 340° - 60°
Size range: 2.5m - 5m
Ideal size: 3.6m - 4.4m
Height multiplier: 1.08×
Ideal period: 16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: SW (225°)
Offshore range: 190° - 260°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid to high

Water temp

9°C

Wetsuit

6/5mm + boots, gloves, hood

Difficulty

10/10

Crowd level

1/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Gills Bay Slab?

The Gills Bay Slab 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 Gills Bay Slab?

The Gills Bay Slab profile uses wind from SW (225°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 190° to 260°. 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 Gills Bay Slab?

The Gills Bay Slab scoring profile favors swell from NNE (340° to 60°), a swell-height range of 2.5m to 5m, and a reference period of 16s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.