Orkney Islands

3 Surf spots

Skara Brae, undefined by Simon Greensill

Skara Brae Simon Greensill

Orkney Islands, undefined by Alex Williams

Orkney IslandsAlex Williams

01/2

families beginners

Positives

Frontier surfing experience
Island wind and swell flexibility
Huge swell window
No crowds

Negatives

Atrocious winter weather
West coast onshores
Difficult, cliff-lined coastal access
Long way from mainland facilities

Orkney Islands surf travel guide

The rugged Orkney Islands lie to the NE of the Scottish north coast, standing tall in the face of extreme provocation from the procession of storms that drill through the North Atlantic en route to the Arctic. There are a lot of cliffs, but where the coast flattens out, good reefbreaks and points can be found. Marwick and Skail Bay on the west coast of Orkney provide the main focus, where the spoking lefts of Skara Brae have been overlooked by its namesake stone neolithic settlement for over 5000yrs. The east coast also gets waves, with some heavy dredging slabs to be found in swells with an E flavour.

Surf spots in Orkney Islands

Research the 3 surf breaks in Orkney Islands and discover what spots suit the current conditions.

Break lowdown

We’ve collated the wave data giving you a unique insight into the 3 breaks in Orkney Islands.

ability
ability data
Beginner	1
Intermediate	1
Advanced	1

bottom
bottom data
Sand	1
Uneven Reef	1
Uneven Reef & Sand	1
Boulders	1
Boulders & Sand	1

consistency
consistency data
High	1
Medium	1
Low	1

crowds
crowds data
Solo Surfing	1
Rarely	1
Sometimes	1
Often	1
Always	1

direction
direction data
Beachbreaks	1
Peak	1
Left	1
Right	1

length
length data
0-50m	1
50-100m	1
100-200m	1
200-500m	1
500m+	1

type
type data
Beachbreak	1
Submerged Reef	1
Point Break	1
Pier/Groyne/Jetty	1
Rivermouth	1

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When to go

Surf and weather statistics to help plan your surf trip to Orkney Islands

Travel Information

General

Current Time
Tourists: 3,400,000
Population: 5,454,000
Tourist Info: Tourist Info

Money

Currency: GBP
Exchange rate: $1 = £0.7 GBP

Communication

Dialing in: +44
Dialing out: 00
Emergencies: 112
Language: English, Scots, Scottish Gaelic.

Electricity

Plug Type: g

Visas

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