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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.

Sandside Bay surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today23

Fair

2.3mWNW@13s

17km/h

2.3m@13s

17km/h

Thu24

Poor

1.5mWNW@11s

24km/h

1.5m@11s

24km/h

Fri25

Fair

3.7mW@16s

21km/h

3.7m@16s

21km/h

Sat26

Good

2.4mWNW@12s

18km/h

2.4m@12s

18km/h

Sun27

Fair

1.4mWNW@11s

24km/h

1.4m@11s

24km/h

Mon28

Good

1.3mW@12s

9km/h

1.3m@12s

9km/h

Tue29

Poor

1.1mW@12s

33km/h

1.1m@12s

33km/h

Wed30

Poor

0.6mNW@11s

35km/h

0.6m@11s

35km/h

Thu1

Poor

1.4mWNW@10s

16km/h

1.4m@10s

16km/h

Fri2

Poor

1.0mW@11s

30km/h

1.0m@11s

30km/h

Groomed 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 10 km/h · PM 21 km/h · High tide at 7am (3.0m)

Swell

2.3m

WNW(287°)

Score: 19/25

Period

13s

Medium period swell

Score: 25/25

Wind

17km/h

W(271°)

Score: 1/25

Weather

12°C

0.0mm73%

First light 6:31amSunrise 7:01amSunset 7:11pmLast light 7:41pm

Windswell0.7m@3sSecondary0.2mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 6:31–11:21am · through highStrike window: 2:25–7:41pm · 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°

10°

13°

12°

8°

11°

14°

15°

11°

12°

14°

15°

13°

10°

11°

13°

15°

13°

15°

14°

13°

12°

8°

10°

14°

15°

10°

12°

14°

15°

14°

15°

17°

15°

11°

13°

12°

10°

12°

13°

15°

5m2.5

sec

14s

12s

11s

12s

18s

16s

15s

12s

11s

12s

11s

10s

11s

swell

windkm/h

9g15

12g21

21g38

24g43

18g32

12g21

19g34

25g44

31g55

31g54

19g35

16g28

23g42

23g41

21g34

17g25

16g24

19g30

20g31

18g27

28g44

31g49

22g34

20g31

17g26

15g21

12g19

7g14

7g12

8g10

19g28

27g41

36g58

39g62

38g59

43g85

44g86

39g85

28g83

13g77

15g26

17g32

19g40

15g41

9g39

27g50

29g56

31g62

31g65

29g64

tidem

12:47am0.9m

7:01am3.0m

12:53pm1.1m

6:59pm3.3m

1:21am0.6m

7:37am3.2m

1:20pm1.0m

7:41pm4.0m

1:54am0.8m

8:05am3.8m

2:00pm0.9m

8:03pm4.0m

2:21am0.3m

8:38am3.8m

2:30pm0.7m

8:40pm4.3m

2:54am0.3m

9:07am4.1m

3:02pm0.7m

9:07pm4.3m

3:26am0.2m

9:38am4.0m

3:38pm0.4m

9:42pm4.1m

4:00am0.0m

10:12am3.8m

4:12pm0.3m

10:23pm4.0m

4:31am0.4m

10:45am4.1m

4:52pm0.8m

5:14am0.8m

11:30am4.0m

5:36pm1.1m

6:05am1.1m

12:08pm3.5m

6:36pm1.0m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

12:47 am

Low tide - 0.86m

7:01 am

High tide - 2.95m

12:53 pm

Low tide - 1.07m

6:59 pm

High tide - 3.30m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Fair

Components

Swell Direction13/25

Swell Size19/25

Swell Period25/25

Wind1/25

Raw Score58/100

Adjustments

💨 Gusty Wind-5

⚠️ Weak Component-5

Adjusted Score48/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score48

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: 1.7m - 2.1m
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?

The Sandside Bay 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 Sandside Bay?

The Sandside Bay profile uses wind from SW (225°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 180° 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 Sandside Bay?

The Sandside Bay scoring profile favors swell from NW (280° to 360°), a swell-height range of 1m to 2.5m, and a reference period of 13s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.