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Sandwood Bay break guidePhoto by: Rob Davies

Sandwood Bay Surf Guide

Sandwood Bay on the West Coast is an exposed beach and reef break that has quite reliable surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the southeast with some shelter here from north winds. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell direction is from the northwest. The beach break provides left and right handers. Good surf at all stages of the tide. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Surfing here means negotiating dangerous rips.

Sandwood Bay Spot Info

Type:Rating:
Beach and reef3
Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent
49°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Sandwood Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Sandwood Bay occur when a Northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southeast.

Surf Forecasts:

What's the best time of year to surf Sandwood Bay (for consistent clean waves)?

aprilBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Sandwood Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of April. Clean surfable waves are typically found 31% of the time in April while 55% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 14% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
31%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
55%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
14%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Sandwood Bay Location Map

Interactive Sandwood Bay surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Sandwood Bay is Stornoway Airport (SYY) in U.k., 83 km (52 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Sandwood Bay is Wick Airport (WIC), also in U.k., 114 km (71 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (ft)
  • Live Wind Speed (mph)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (ft)
  • Wind Speed (mph)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Sandwood Bay Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 5 January 2025, 21:21 Local Time
SunMonday 06
9PM0AM3AM6AM
Wave (ft)
6
N
6
N
4.5
N
7.5
N
Period (s) 11 11 11 10
Wind (mph)
10
10
10
15
Wind State cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross

Swell History at Sandwood Bay

Surf stats for Sandwood Bay, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Sandwood Bay

Wind stats for Sandwood Bay, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Sandwood Bay Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings
Based on 2 votes.
  • Overall:3.0
  • Quality on a good day:3.0
  • Consistency of Surf:3.0
  • Difficulty Level:3.0
  • Crowds:4.5
  • Accommodation:2.0
  • ...

See all 18 ratings


Review
Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.
Rob Davies from United Kingdom
“Remote Sandwood Bay has some of the beast coastal scenery in the British Isles. It's a huge beach with tall cliffs at either end, a few granite outcrops and big shallow lake behind that gets warm for a swim on long summer days. The rock climbing in these parts is an excellent alternative to surfing if there is no swell. Pristine water and white sands make for very similar scenery to the Outer Hebrides.

It's a long walk across the moor, and the sandflies can be hellish, so it pays to check the surf where you park at Oldshoremore before setting out. This is your last chance to pick up supplies.

If there is small (say knee to waist high) and clean surf here, Sandwood Bay will be pumping but if Oldshoremore looks like it is already your kind of size, stay here and surf it instead because Sandwood will be much too big and you'll waste a lot of time and effort getting there.

I've only been to Sandwood 3 times but each time I camped over for 2 or 3 days. For most of the time it was small and it turns out that even the most exposed beach on the Scottish mainland can get flat in summer.

When the swell did arrive, I found the best shoulders were to be had right down at the southern end where the beach becomes rocky. A very consistent left here on a boulder bottom. The rest of the beach seemed to be mostly closing out but with a steep sand profile, rock outcrops and a rivermouth, I could imagine that this little snapshot might not be representative.

Camping out in the open, or even on the beach, can seem like a good idea if you arrive in fine weather but bear in mind that such conditions don't generally last long. If the weather comes in, you'd be much better off camping amongst the big rock outcrops that you will see to your left as you first approach the beach. Some overhangs here can provide a lot of shelter from SW wind and rain.”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near Sandwood Bay. Click below to view there surf guides.

    • Beach
    • 1.0
    Reliability: fairly consistent
    8km away
    • Beach and reef
    • 3.0
    Reliability: fairly consistent
    8km away
    • Beach
    • 3.0
    Reliability: fairly consistent
    17km away
    • Beach
    • 3.0
    Reliability: fairly consistent
    18km away
    • Beach
    • 2.0
    Reliability: rarely breaks
    37km away

Wave Buoys Nearest To Sandwood Bay:

Nearest
Nearest