Surf Forecasts:
The Left surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period, WNW swell with 1,219 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. 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 2.3m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Left over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s headed our way in the next couple of weeks.
The start is pretty quiet. From Friday the 21st through Sunday the 23rd, the surf is just poor. The wind is cross or cross-on, and the swell is weak and messy. Not worth getting wet. There’s a few days of nothing to get excited about.
Then Monday the 24th is the first real standout. The Left is looking clean with a solid 8ft swell from the WNW, period 11s. That’s proper groundswell with a lot of energy (1224) – it’s going to be a ripper for experienced surfers. The wind is light and cross-off, so the waves will be holding shape. The Left is a point break, so that long-period energy will wrap in nicely. Water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing special.
Monday afternoon drops off a bit as the wind picks up, but still clean. Tuesday the 25th is smaller with a fresher breeze, so not as good. Wednesday the 26th through the end of the month is mostly tiny or onshore slop.
Now, keep your eyes on Sunday the 30th of August. The morning is looking absolutely firing with an 8ft WNW swell, long 8s period, and a gentle offshore wind from the south. Clean conditions, huge energy (1172), and the Left will be pumping. That’s an expert-only day with that size. The afternoon gets even bigger at 10ft from the NW, but the wind swings onshore, so it’ll get messy.
Monday the 31st still has some size but onshore wind, so not great. After that, the first week of September is a write-off with strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy, messy surf. The whole stretch from the 1st to the 5th looks poor, with no real quality.
So, your best bet? Monday the 24th for a clean, solid session, or Sunday the 30th for a real big-wave charge if you’ve got the skills. The Left (point break) is the spot to be.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Mon morning, fresh winds from the E by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | N 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 356 | 297 | 269 | 129 | 75 | 34 | 85 | 155 | 574 | 1219 | 990 | 577 | 363 | 109 | 74 | 34 | 31 | 27 | 12 | 12 | 24 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 3:54PM3.84m | 4:38AM3.72m | 5:18PM3.86m | 6:14AM3.76m | 6:34PM4.01m | 7:22AM3.94m | 7:29PM4.24m | 8:08AM4.17m | 8:10PM4.48m | 8:43AM4.38m | 8:45PM4.70m | 9:14AM4.57m | 9:16PM4.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:29AM2.54m | 10:25PM2.60m | 11:03AM2.65m | 00:01AM2.49m | 12:23PM2.55m | 1:05AM2.25m | 1:18PM2.35m | 1:49AM1.97m | 1:59PM2.11m | 2:26AM1.71m | 2:35PM1.88m | 2:59AM1.48m | 3:08PM1.68m | 3:31AM1.30m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:47 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — |
 | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 8 |
Temp °C | 12 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 |
Feels °C | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | N 8 | WNW 9 | NNE 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 |
| kJ | 12 | 12 | 4 | 129 | 75 | 34 | 25 | 11 | 574 | 1219 | 990 | 577 | 363 | 109 | 74 | 34 | 31 | 27 | 33 | 29 | 25 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | NNE 8 | — | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NW 13 | N 10 | WNW 10 | NW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 |
| kJ | — | — | 6 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 21 | — | 5 | 5 | 2 | 61 | 8 | 85 | 20 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 24 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 8 | N 6 | — | — | — | — | N 10 | — | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 7 | W 8 | NE 6 | W 10 | N 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 8 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | E 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | — |
| kJ | 356 | 297 | 269 | 14 | 32 | 33 | 85 | 155 | — | — | — | 1 | 28 | 49 | 17 | 37 | 117 | 186 | 11 | 4 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 785 | 258 | 46 | 63 | 110 | 21 | 63 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 34 | 82 | 9 | 16 | 417 | 189 | 103 | 171 | 184 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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