Surf Forecasts:
The Left surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 11s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, W swell with 670 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 12s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Left this week:
The surf forecast for The Left over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Left in the next 16 days are 1.7m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Left over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, let’s have a look at what’s cooking for The Left over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, it’s a pretty grim stretch for this point break, with most days serving up poor surf conditions. There are a couple of bright spots, but you’ll need to be patient.
The first real chance at something decent is on Monday the 24th of August. The morning is tiny—just 2ft of 6-second swell from the W, and it’s clean with a light offshore from the SSE, but it’s still pretty ordinary. The afternoon is where it gets interesting: a new W swell pushes in at 3ft with a 12-second period, so there’s some real groundswell energy there (combined energy 256). The wind stays light offshore from the SSE, so the wave faces should be clean. This is a standout session if you can get out.
Then on Wednesday the 26th of August, the morning sees a solid 3ft W swell at 10 seconds (combined energy 227) with a light cross-off breeze from the SW. Conditions are clean and the waves should be good—another little window of quality. Short period enough to keep some shape at a point break.
After that, Friday the 28th of August morning is also worth a mention. You’ve got a 4ft W swell with 9-second period (combined energy 201) and a moderate offshore from the SSE. It’s a bit windier, but still clean and offering up some proper waves.
Towards the end of the forecast, the swell gets big. By Tuesday the 1st of September, we’re looking at a massive 21ft W swell with a very long 13-second period (combined energy 13180), but the wind howls cross from the W at 25 mph. That’s not a paddle situation—more for the very experienced or for kite gear. The afternoon drops to 13ft with a 14-second period (combined energy 5980) and the wind eases to a cross 12 mph, but it’s still messy.
For the rest of the run, from now until the 24th, it’s all poor surf with onshore or cross-onshore winds and small, weak swells. Crowds likely at The Left when it’s on. The water temp is 57°, which is about normal for this time of year.
So, grab the Monday the 24th afternoon and Wednesday the 26th morning—those are your best bets for a clean, fun surf. The big stuff on the 1st is for experts only.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ESE on Mon night, calm by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 8 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | N 7 | N 8 | N 7 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NNE 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | W 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 24 | 29 | 285 | 448 | 300 | 124 | 306 | 313 | 254 | 284 | 263 | 165 | 238 | 75 | 93 | 35 | 54 | 44 | 56 | 303 | 651 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:10PM4.35m | 1:17AM4.51m | 1:52PM4.13m | 2:06AM4.17m | 2:44PM3.95m | 3:10AM3.88m | 3:54PM3.84m | 4:38AM3.72m | 5:18PM3.86m | 6:14AM3.76m | 6:34PM4.01m | 7:22AM3.94m | 7:29PM4.24m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:55AM1.57m | 7:03PM1.99m | 7:36AM1.93m | 7:49PM2.25m | 8:23AM2.27m | 8:51PM2.49m | 9:29AM2.54m | 10:25PM2.60m | 11:03AM2.65m | 00:01AM2.49m | 12:23PM2.55m | 1:05AM2.25m | 1:18PM2.35m | 1:49AM1.97m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  | |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | 5:39 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — |
 | — | 8:54 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:37 | — |
mm | 7 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 8 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | N 9 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | NNE 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 11 | W 11 |
| kJ | 24 | 29 | 285 | 448 | 300 | 123 | 72 | 46 | 25 | 12 | 12 | 165 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 35 | 54 | 44 | 31 | 303 | 651 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | E 5 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | ENE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 6 | N 8 | NNE 8 | WNW 12 | NE 7 | NNE 7 |
| kJ | 12 | 13 | 26 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 31 | 19 | 56 | 12 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 8 | W 4 | E 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 9 | — | W 7 | — | W 17 | WNW 9 | NNW 6 | — | NNE 7 | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | — | 6 | 26 | 6 | — | 17 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | — | — | NE 7 | NNE 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 8 | N 7 | N 8 | N 9 | WNW 4 | NNW 9 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | — | — | — | — | ENE 7 |
| kJ | 50 | — | — | 67 | 73 | 124 | 306 | 313 | 254 | 284 | 263 | 15 | 238 | 75 | 93 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 15 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 10 | 21 | 0 | 32 | 32 | 87 | 355 | 751 | 239 | 87 | 239 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Left surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the The Left Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Left provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Left can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Left surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (The Left) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for The Left may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Scotland - North Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near The Left, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Scotland - North Coast, consider staying in Scrabster which is 7 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Scotland - North Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Wick which is 38 km (24 miles) away and Kirkwall, 56 km (35 miles) away.
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