
Surf Forecasts:
The Left surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period, WNW swell with 258 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with WNW 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 Monday (Jul 13) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 21s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Left in the next 16 days are 0.9m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Left over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here with a long, hard look at what The Left has got in store for us over the next couple of weeks. I’ve been staring at the charts, and honestly, it’s a bit of a frustrating story unless you’re willing to wait.
Right off the bat, we’ve got to talk about the water temp. It’s sitting at 55°F, which is about normal for the time of year, so no strange currents or weird thermals to blame for what’s coming.
The main issue for the first week is that the energy is just not there. We’re seeing a weak combined swell energy (70) on Sunday morning, 12 July, with a tiny 2ft swell from the WNW and a short period of 8 seconds. The wind is cross-shore, making it choppy. That’s a solid donut for the score. The Left usually needs a proper groundswell to line up, and we’re just not getting it. This poor pattern drags on through Sunday and into Monday, 13 July. Monday morning cleans up a little with a cross-off breeze from the ESE, but the swell is still a paltry 2ft. It’s surfable, but only just.
Tuesday, 14 July, is where we finally get a flicker of hope. The morning shows a combined swell energy jumping to 236 (moderate) with a 3ft WNW swell and a better period of 10 seconds. The wind is a clean, cross-off breeze from the ESE. This is the first genuine “good surf conditions” call we get. It’s small but clean. Afternoon the swell bumps up to 3ft but the tide or something makes it questionable.
Then we hit another dry spell. From Wednesday, 15 July, all the way through to Sunday, 19 July, it’s mostly poor with tiny waves and weak energy. That’s a solid five days of nothing special.
Now, here’s the one you’ve been waiting for. The standout of the entire forecast is Tuesday morning, 21 July. We see a combined swell energy of 772 (strong), a solid 7ft swell from the WNW with a period of 10 seconds. That’s proper groundswell with some real punch. The wind is a clean, cross-off breeze from the SW, which will groom the face nicely. At 7ft, this is pushing into intermediate-to-advanced territory—beginners should sit this one out—but for the rest of you, this is The Left doing what it does best. It’s a point break, so that longer-period swell will wrap in nicely and give you some good, long walls. Afternoon on the 21st gets gusty and drops in quality, so make the most of that morning.
After that peak, the energy drops again, but it doesn’t go completely flat. Wednesday and Thursday see some messy, onshore winds and rain with bigger, lumpy swell, but those are for the hardcore only.
By the very end of the period, Sunday, 26 July, we see a change. A light offshore wind from the S with a 3ft WNW swell creates “surfable but very ordinary” conditions. It’s clean but small. Monday the 27th picks up a bit more size (5ft, period 10 seconds) but the wind is howling at a fresh breeze, so the quality will be blown out.
In short: forget the first week. Circle Tuesday, 21 July. That morning is the session. The rest is a waiting game for a combo of cleaner winds and a bit more size later in the following week.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
68 | 43 | 28 | 51 | 45 | 65 | 123 | 242 | 125 | 64 | 39 | 25 | 26 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 25 | 21 | 40 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 7:42PM4.70m | 8:15AM4.66m | 8:36PM4.92m | 9:14AM4.82m | 9:27PM5.10m | 10:07AM4.91m | 10:14PM5.21m | 10:57AM4.92m | 10:59PM5.25m | 11:45AM4.85m | 11:44PM5.19m | 12:31PM4.70m | 00:29AM5.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:33PM1.67m | 2:06AM1.53m | 2:27PM1.53m | 2:58AM1.22m | 3:16PM1.44m | 3:47AM0.99m | 4:03PM1.40m | 4:34AM0.87m | 4:47PM1.44m | 5:20AM0.88m | 5:31PM1.54m | 6:05AM1.00m | 6:14PM1.70m | ||||||||
4:24 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:26 | — | — | 4:28 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — | |
— | — | 10:14 | — | — | 10:13 | — | — | 10:12 | — | — | 10:09 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:05 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 14 |
68 | 43 | 28 | 51 | 45 | 65 | 123 | 242 | 125 | 64 | 39 | 25 | 26 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 25 | 21 | 40 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | NNW 6 | WNW 9 | W 21 | W 15 | W 14 | W 12 | — | W 18 | W 18 | — | — | — | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | WNW 10 | N 7 | W 16 | E 5 |
2 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 15 | 106 | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 7 | E 7 | W 21 | — | E 6 | W 19 | — | — | E 6 | — | — | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | W 12 | N 8 | — | N 7 | N 7 |
— | 1 | 1 | 9 | — | 1 | 7 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | — | 1 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 2 | — | E 6 | E 2 | ESE 2 | — | E 2 | ESE 2 | ESE 2 | E 3 | E 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 2 | ESE 2 | E 2 | — | N 3 | NNW 3 | WNW 4 |
— | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 20 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 51 | 158 | 0 | 170 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 158 | 176 | 370 | 370 | 370 | 370 | 370 | 370 | 647 | 184 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










