Surf Forecasts:
The Left surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 9s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, W swell with 2,424 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s 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 12) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. 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 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Left over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here.
Right, so we’re looking at The Left, and it’s one of those forecasts where you’ve got to wait for the good stuff. For a point break that’s fairly consistent, we’re staring at a big dry gap right from the start. From Tuesday the 11th through to Monday the 17th of August, there’s hardly anything worth paddling for. A few mornings might be surfable, but they’re ordinary – not worth the wax.
Things finally start cooking late on Monday the 18th of August. Tuesday morning the 18th, the wind goes offshore from the south at 25 km/h and a solid 8ft swell from the west shows up. The combined energy is 846 (moderate but building). That’s when it gets interesting. It’s a bit much for beginners, but it’ll be clean.
The absolute standout is Wednesday the 19th of August. Mark it down. The swell hits 12ft from the west-northwest with an 11-second period – that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is a huge 2628 (very strong). With light winds keeping it clean, The Left will be pumping. That’s expert-only territory. If you know what you’re doing, get out there. If not, watch from the shore.
Thursday the 20th of August still has 10ft of swell, but a fresher cross-off breeze from the west-southwest at 30 km/h makes it a bit rough. Energy is still high at 2280 – still good, just not as clean as Wednesday.
After that, it drops off through the weekend with smaller, messier waves and onshore winds. There’s a small chance on Tuesday the 25th of August with 4ft swell and clean winds, but nothing to write home about compared to that Wednesday pulse.
So, short story: wait out the first week, then hammer Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th of August. That’s your window.
Water temp is around 56°, which is about normal for the year. No big deal.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | W 11 | W 10 | WSW 10 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 5 | W 8 | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | W 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 78 | 39 | 41 | 80 | 32 | 64 | 82 | 98 | 90 | 104 | 101 | 74 | 200 | 188 | 232 | 163 | 86 | 48 | 43 | 35 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 8:30PM4.91m | 9:12AM4.84m | 9:16PM5.15m | 9:57AM4.97m | 9:59PM5.31m | 10:39AM4.99m | 10:40PM5.35m | 11:18AM4.92m | 11:19PM5.28m | 11:55AM4.77m | 11:57PM5.10m | 12:32PM4.57m | 00:36AM4.83m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:49AM1.13m | 3:05PM1.49m | 3:34AM0.89m | 3:48PM1.37m | 4:17AM0.79m | 4:28PM1.34m | 4:58AM0.82m | 5:07PM1.40m | 5:37AM0.98m | 5:45PM1.53m | 6:16AM1.25m | 6:23PM1.74m | ||||||||
 |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | |
 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — |
 | — | 9:13 | — | — | 9:09 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:05 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:00 | — | 8:57 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | W 10 | W 6 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | N 9 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | W 8 | NNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | W 8 |
| kJ | 78 | 39 | 15 | 80 | 27 | 64 | 82 | 98 | 42 | 45 | 25 | 25 | 200 | 33 | 77 | 55 | 86 | 48 | 26 | 35 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | W 11 | N 7 | WSW 10 | W 6 | N 10 | N 9 | E 6 | SE 5 | — | — | N 9 | N 8 | — | — | W 7 | W 10 | W 9 | N 7 |
| kJ | 15 | 8 | 41 | 15 | 32 | 5 | 53 | 43 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 23 | 12 | — | — | 23 | 18 | 43 | 16 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 9 | W 8 | ESE 5 | N 7 | N 8 | W 5 | E 6 | — | E 6 | E 5 | — | N 10 | N 8 | — | — | — | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — |
| kJ | — | 2 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 3 | SE 3 | S 3 | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 5 | — | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | — | — | ESE 2 | SE 3 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 90 | 104 | 101 | 74 | — | 188 | 232 | 163 | — | — | 1 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 63 | 1182 | 21 | 726 | 63 | 87 | 32 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 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)
Latest Updates
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