Ayre of Banks
Orkney · United Kingdom
Rating right now
An open W-facing sand beach on the Sea of the Hebrides near Orkney, Ayre of Banks works on SW–N groundswell; E–SE winds offshore, with conditions most reliable april–october.
Today's surf at Ayre of Banks
Updated 05:30 spot time
Ayre of Banks surf report for Thursday 1 Oct: waves 1.0 m–2.0 m double overhead+, 1.0 m ESE swell at 6.25 s. Wind up to 26 km/h SSE. Water 13°C. Best surf window around 15:00 — good (3.5/5) with 16 km/h SW wind.
Snapshot refreshed hourly — the live hourly forecast below updates in real time.
10-day forecast
Local time · updates hourly
Wave height & period
Wind
| Time | Rating | Waves | Swell | Wind | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Water temperature by month
This month: ~12.1°C (53.8°F) on average
Jan
8.1°C
46.6°F · 7–9.3°C
Feb
7.2°C
45°F · 6.4–7.9°C
Mar
7.1°C
44.8°F · 6–8.5°C
Apr
7.7°C
45.9°F · 6.8–8.7°C
May
8.8°C
47.8°F · 7.7–10.6°C
Jun
10.6°C
51.1°F · 9.4–12.2°C
Jul
11.9°C
53.4°F · 10–14.1°C
Aug
12.9°C
55.2°F · 11.8–14°C
Sep
13°C
55.4°F · 11.9–14.1°C
Oct
12.1°C
53.8°F · 11.1–13.7°C
Nov
10.6°C
51.1°F · 9.5–12.2°C
Dec
9.1°C
48.4°F · 8.1–10.7°C
25-year monthly averages from the NOAA OISST satellite record — typical range min–max, not a live reading.
Know before you go
Best swell
SW–N
Best wind
E–SE
Break type
Beach break
Best season
April–October
Safety: Friendly by surf standards, but rip currents and drop-in etiquette still apply. Shifting sandbars create moving rip currents — learn to spot them and use them to get out back.
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