Located in West Caithness, Scotland, Sandside Bay is an excellent left reef break that offers up a thick barrel at the start before smoothing out into a long wall perfect for manoeuvres. The waves here can be heavy and break for up to 100 meters over a rock reef. The biggest danger here is the potential of radioactive particles on the beach from the reactor just up the coast. There are signs not to dig or spend time in contact with the sand.
What are the best surf conditions for Sandside Bay?
Gets good between head high to triple overhead. We recommend riding a shortboard here when smaller and a step up as it picks up. This break is suitable for intermediate and advanced level surfers. The surf here is not the most consistent (4/10) and is almost never crowded (3/10). The best winds are from the southwest. The best swells are from the North, Northeast, Northwest, and West. Works on a mid to high tide best.
We recommend wearing a 5/4 here year-round. Water temperatures rise to 13 degrees in summer and drop to 7 degrees in the winter. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
