Surf Forecasts:
The Left surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s period, WNW swell with 10,914 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 16 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s 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 (Sep 16) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Left in the next 16 days are 5.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Left over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I've had a look at the charts for The Left over the next couple of weeks. The ocean is gonna be pretty angry for a good stretch here before we get anything clean and lined up.
Alright, for The Left, it’s a proper point break setup, and it’s got some decent consistency on offer, but the first week is pure punishment. A real shame, because there's a pile of swell energy in the water, but the wind’s just got it all messed up. From Tuesday through to the following Monday, we’re staring down a lot of messy, lumpy, and poor surf conditions. The wind is howling from the west and west-northwest, putting a chop all over the face. The energy's there, but it’s all cross-onshore junk. It's just not worth paddling out for.
The first sniff of a real session doesn’t appear until Tuesday, the 29th of September, and that's over a week away. Man, that’s a long wait. For Tuesday morning, the 29th, we get a window of absolute magic—glass-off conditions, a 4ft, long-period groundswell from the west with the period at 12 seconds. The Bureau says you can "expect very good surf conditions." That’s the standout. The water temp is neutral, about average for the time of year. The following morning, Wednesday the 30th, carries that same clean promise with light glassy winds from the southeast and a steady 4ft west swell. It’ll be clean and should have plenty of shape for an intermediate surfer.
The Left is a point break, and those long-period swells get real wedgy and steep, so it'll be a rippable wall. Also, this break can get a crowd "sometimes", so you might want to be out early for those clean morning windows. Keep an eye on the long-range forecasts, because the second week looks like our only real chance at a classic session.
That's it from me.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon night, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Mon night, near gales from the W by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Fri afternoon, near gales from the W by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 11 | W 10 | NW 6 | NW 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 11 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | W 11 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 326 | 192 | 255 | 393 | 323 | 219 | 904 | 3192 | 9997 | 6760 | 3678 | 1517 | 1608 | 1712 | 3490 | 7483 | 5711 | 2813 | 1324 | 1708 | 968 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | off | cross | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 11:47AM4.64m | 11:58PM4.71m | 12:19PM4.44m | 00:35AM4.38m | 12:56PM4.22m | 1:21AM4.04m | 1:43PM4.00m | 2:27AM3.75m | 2:54PM3.82m | 4:08AM3.61m | 4:32PM3.79m | 5:51AM3.71m | 5:57PM3.94m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:39AM1.36m | 5:50PM1.64m | 6:12AM1.69m | 6:27PM1.89m | 6:47AM2.04m | 7:09PM2.16m | 7:27AM2.38m | 8:04PM2.43m | 8:25AM2.67m | 9:34PM2.60m | 10:12AM2.82m | 11:27PM2.52m | 11:54AM2.69m | 00:34AM2.26m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — |
 | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:17 | — |
mm | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | N 8 | N 9 | W 10 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | WNW 12 | N 10 | N 9 | N 8 | — | — | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | N 8 | W 10 |
| kJ | 326 | 192 | 121 | 289 | 286 | 219 | 46 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 1517 | 7 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 2813 | 1324 | 5 | 968 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | N 10 | SE 6 | W 12 | W 11 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | — | N 9 |
| kJ | 96 | 68 | 1 | 393 | 323 | 169 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 14 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 6 | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 1 | — | — | 205 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 4 | WNW 4 | NW 6 | NW 9 | — | S 4 | W 9 | W 11 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | SSW 4 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | — | SW 4 | W 11 | S 3 |
| kJ | 14 | 19 | 255 | 362 | — | 23 | 904 | 3192 | 9997 | 6760 | 3678 | 25 | 1608 | 1712 | 3490 | 7483 | 5711 | — | 16 | 1708 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 63 | 1085 | 776 | 287 | 7 | 21 | 417 | 621 | 668 | 421 | 37 | 421 | 813 | 186 | 426 | 412 | 345 | 0 | 34 | 20 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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.
Nearest