Reef

left

Level 8/10

Skara Brae

Orkney Islands, UK

🪸Sharp reef🪨Rocks🏝️Remote🌀Strong rips🚶Difficult access

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Skara Brae sits on Orkney's raw, exposed west coast near one of Europe's most important Neolithic sites. This left-hand reef catches virtually everything the North Atlantic throws at it.

10-Day Forecast

Today9

Poor

1.7mW@9s

34km/h

1.7m@9s

34km/h

Mon10

Poor

2.2mNNW@9s

28km/h

2.2m@9s

28km/h

Tue11

Poor

1.0mN@8s

19km/h

1.0m@8s

19km/h

Wed12

Poor

0.7mW@7s

16km/h

0.7m@7s

16km/h

Thu13

Poor

1.1mW@8s

23km/h

1.1m@8s

23km/h

Fri14

Poor

1.2mW@6s

22km/h

1.2m@6s

22km/h

Sat15

Poor

0.9mW@6s

17km/h

0.9m@6s

17km/h

Sun16

Poor

0.9mWNW@6s

8km/h

0.9m@6s

8km/h

Mon17

Poor

0.6mN@6s

11km/h

0.6m@6s

11km/h

Tue18

Poor

0.0mN@11s

9km/h

0.0m@11s

9km/h

Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 32 km/h · PM 33 km/h · Tide at 5am (3.1m)

Swell

1.7m

W(277°)

Score: 12/25

Period

Short period / windswell

Score: 4/25

Wind

34km/h

WSW(254°)

Score: 0/25

Weather

14°C

0.0mm63%

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

Windswell1.6m@5sSecondary0.3mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 7:41am–3:35pm · through lowStrike window: 8:18–9:48pm · 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

13°

14°

13°

11°

12°

13°

12°

10°

13°

15°

16°

15°

17°

20°

21°

20°

17°

16°

14°

13°

14°

15°

14°

12°

13°

14°

12°

13°

14°

13°

10°

11°

13°

3m1.5

sec

11s

swell

windkm/h

32g49

32g50

34g53

32g50

33g52

29g46

26g41

30g49

26g42

25g39

8g12

12g22

23g40

25g44

25g42

12g19

15g25

21g37

17g31

9g16

16g26

18g31

25g43

30g50

27g44

15g23

21g34

23g39

26g44

28g46

16g27

17g32

19g36

21g40

7g22

7g19

8g20

10g19

4g13

9g16

13g24

14g28

16g30

5g12

7g12

10g19

11g22

12g21

tidem

5:33am3.1m

11:46am1.4m

6:03pm3.2m

6:43am3.1m

12:51pm1.0m

7:05pm3.2m

1:25am0.6m

7:45am3.2m

1:42pm0.8m

7:57pm3.5m

2:15am0.4m

8:36am3.4m

2:28pm0.7m

8:40pm3.8m

3:01am0.1m

9:20am3.5m

3:11pm0.5m

9:23pm3.9m

3:45am0.0m

10:00am3.5m

3:52pm0.4m

10:04pm3.9m

4:24am0.0m

10:40am3.5m

4:31pm0.5m

5:03am0.2m

11:17am3.3m

5:08pm0.6m

5:41am0.4m

11:54am3.2m

5:47pm0.8m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

5:33 am

High tide - 3.07m

11:46 am

Low tide - 1.39m

6:03 pm

High tide - 3.16m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction12/25

Swell Size12/25

Swell Period4/25

Wind0/25

Raw Score28/100

Adjustments

🤢 Wind History-21

🌊💨 Windswell-5

⚠️ Weak Component-10

Adjusted Score0/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score0

🤢 Morning Sickness🌊💨 Windswell

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to KOI, 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: WNW (300°)
Direction range: 260° - 340°
Size range: 1.2m - 3m
Ideal size: 2.5m
Height multiplier: 1.00×
Ideal period: 14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: ESE (110°)
Offshore range: 70° - 150°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid

Water temp

9°C

Wetsuit

6/5mm + boots, gloves, hood

Difficulty

8/10

Crowd level

1/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Skara Brae?

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

What wind direction is offshore at Skara Brae?

Offshore wind at Skara Brae blows from the ESE (110°). Anything in the 70° to 150° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.