Beach

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Level 6/10

Sandside Bay

Caithness, UK

🌀Strong rips🪨Rocks🚫Pollution

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Sandside Bay would be famous for its quality left-hander if it weren't for its proximity to the Dounreay nuclear facility.

10-Day Forecast

Today9

Poor

1.3mWNW@8s

24km/h

1.3m@8s

24km/h

Mon10

Poor

2.3mNNW@10s

24km/h

2.3m@10s

24km/h

Tue11

Poor

1.2mN@8s

19km/h

1.2m@8s

19km/h

Wed12

Poor

0.5mNNW@3s

14km/h

0.5m@3s

14km/h

Thu13

Poor

0.5mW@9s

21km/h

0.5m@9s

21km/h

Fri14

Poor

0.7mWNW@9s

22km/h

0.7m@9s

22km/h

Sat15

Poor

0.8mWNW@9s

18km/h

0.8m@9s

18km/h

Sun16

Poor

0.8mNW@7s

8km/h

0.8m@7s

8km/h

Mon17

Poor

0.7mN@7s

9km/h

0.7m@7s

9km/h

Tue18

Poor

0.6mNW@9s

12km/h

0.6m@9s

12km/h

Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 17 km/h · PM 28 km/h · High tide at 5am (3.5m)

Swell

1.3m

WNW(284°)

Score: 11/25

Period

Short period / windswell

Score: 4/25

Wind

24km/h

W(263°)

Score: 2/25

Weather

15°C

0.0mm60%

First light 4:53amSunrise 5:23amSunset 9:18pmLast light 9:48pm

Windswell1.1m@4sSecondary0.3mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 4:53am–9:48pm · 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

12°

14°

16°

14°

11°

12°

13°

14°

13°

10°

13°

15°

18°

17°

16°

18°

21°

23°

21°

17°

18°

19°

18°

14°

15°

14°

13°

14°

15°

14°

10°

12°

15°

14°

11°

12°

14°

15°

14°

10°

11°

13°

14°

3m1.5

sec

10s

swell

windkm/h

15g27

18g33

25g46

28g50

20g36

28g51

28g53

23g43

18g34

11g18

19g30

21g34

20g34

22g35

14g21

16g24

17g28

16g27

6g10

12g19

18g29

25g41

25g40

24g36

17g22

22g32

23g36

25g39

25g38

20g29

18g27

16g31

17g37

18g39

10g22

7g20

8g23

9g25

8g27

8g14

5g18

9g23

11g27

10g30

10g18

12g23

15g31

14g33

11g32

tidem

5:30am3.5m

11:44am1.6m

6:02pm3.7m

6:42am3.6m

12:48pm1.2m

7:04pm3.8m

1:20am0.7m

7:43am3.7m

1:39pm0.9m

7:56pm4.1m

2:11am0.5m

8:34am4.0m

2:26pm0.8m

8:40pm4.5m

2:58am0.2m

9:18am4.2m

3:08pm0.6m

9:21pm4.6m

3:41am0.0m

9:58am4.1m

3:50pm0.5m

10:02pm4.5m

4:20am0.0m

10:38am4.1m

4:30pm0.6m

5:00am0.2m

11:16am3.9m

5:07pm0.7m

5:38am0.5m

11:53am3.7m

5:45pm0.9m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

5:30 am

High tide - 3.54m

11:44 am

Low tide - 1.60m

6:02 pm

High tide - 3.66m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction11/25

Swell Size11/25

Swell Period4/25

Wind2/25

Raw Score28/100

Adjustments

🌊💨 Windswell-5

💨 Gusty Wind-4

⚠️ Weak Component-5

Adjusted Score14/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score14

🌊💨 Windswell

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: NW (310°)
Direction range: 280° - 360°
Size range: 1m - 2.5m
Ideal size: 2.0m
Height multiplier: 0.92×
Ideal period: 13s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: SW (225°)
Offshore range: 180° - 260°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid to high

Water temp

9°C

Wetsuit

6/5mm + boots, gloves, hood

Difficulty

6/10

Crowd level

2/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Sandside Bay?

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

What wind direction is offshore at Sandside Bay?

Offshore wind at Sandside Bay blows from the SW (225°). Anything in the 180° to 260° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.