Surf Forecasts:
The Left surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s period, WNW swell with 1,046 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m 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 2.1m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Left over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey crew, Rusty here with the lowdown for The Left over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day picture, there's a lot of flat and average stuff to get through. The one day that stands out, the real highlight, is Monday, August 24th. That morning, The Left is going to have a proper 7ft groundswell from the WNW, with a massive 1203 in energy and a long 11-second period. That's some serious power. The wind will be a light, clean cross-offshore from the SE, making for glassy conditions. The water temp is around 57°, which is normal for this time of year. This is expert-only stuff at that size. The afternoon of the 24th still has a 7ft swell, but it's a bit windier, so the morning is the call.
Before that, it's pretty grim. From Wednesday the 19th through Sunday the 23rd, it's all poor surf with strong, messy onshore and cross-shore winds and weak, short-period junk. The energy is weak, mostly under 350. Just choppy and lumpy. Not worth the paddle out.
After that Monday peak, it fades fast. From Tuesday the 25th onward into the end of the month, we're looking at small waves from 1ft to 3ft. The winds do go clean and offshore for a stretch, so you might find a little waist-high wave on a longboard if you're keen. The energy is weak, mostly under 400. The Left can get a crowd sometimes, so that Monday might have a few people on it.
Rolling into September, the first few days are tiny and ordinary. There's a little window on Thursday, September 3rd morning with a light offshore wind and clean conditions, but it's only 2ft with a weak 63 in energy. Not much happening.
So, mark your calendar for Monday the 24th of August. That's the one. Everything else is either a miss or small scraps for the dedicated.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, fresh winds from the ESE by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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 7 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 311 | 378 | 489 | 351 | 247 | 203 | 132 | 99 | 87 | 156 | 277 | 465 | 1046 | 867 | 392 | 132 | 113 | 70 | 94 | 96 | 67 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 8:08AM4.17m | 8:10PM4.48m | 8:43AM4.38m | 8:45PM4.70m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 1:59PM2.11m | 2:26AM1.71m | 2:35PM1.88m | 2:59AM1.48m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:43 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — |
 | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:32 | — |
mm | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | N 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | E 9 |
| kJ | 71 | 45 | 25 | 12 | 247 | 203 | 132 | 99 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 465 | 1046 | 867 | 392 | 132 | 113 | 70 | 94 | 96 | 139 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | — | W 16 | W 10 | W 17 | — | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNW 12 | NW 12 | WNW 10 | N 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 11 | N 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | 5 | 5 | 28 | 73 | 115 | 73 | 47 | 14 | 22 | 67 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 17 | — | — | — | — | NE 7 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 12 | W 8 | W 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 47 | 63 | 38 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 49 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 7 | N 8 | N 8 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | ESE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | — |
| kJ | 311 | 378 | 489 | 351 | 30 | 24 | 37 | 45 | 87 | 156 | 277 | — | — | — | 7 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 51 | 95 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 423 | 1104 | 258 | 621 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 265 | 36 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 171 | 171 | 34 | 34 | 65 | 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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