Surf Forecasts:
The Left surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 8s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, NNW swell with 297 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 8s period with N 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 Tuesday (Aug 11) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m 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 1.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore 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 (Aug 12) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Left over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what The Left has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.
It’s a bit of a slow start, and to be honest, for the first week or so, it’s pretty slim pickings. The Left is a point break, so it needs the right direction to really fire, and we’re not seeing that for a while. The water temp is sitting pretty average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.
Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th offer tiny, weak waves with energy levels barely getting out of bed (67-93). Winds aren’t doing us any favours either. Thursday the 13th morning goes glassy, which is a beautiful thing, but with only 2ft on offer, you’d be fighting for a knee-high dribble. The combined energy is still weak (82). Friday the 14th through to the 19th is a write-off with messy, onshore or strong cross-shore winds ruining anything that tries to stand up. Expect lumpy, choppy conditions and energy levels that fluctuate but are mostly poor quality. Saturday the 15th has a bit of size, 4ft to 4ft, but with a fresh 19 mph cross-wind, it's just a washing machine.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The real standout, and the only one worth circling on your calendar, is Friday the 21st of August. That morning we’ve got a solid 5ft swell rolling in from the west with a long period of 11 seconds. The combined swell energy jumps to a solid 595 (moderate wave energy), so there’s proper push behind it. The wind is light and blowing offshore from the SSE. That’s clean, calm faces on a point break. For an intermediate crew, this is the session. The afternoon still looks good with 5ft and a cross-off wind, but the morning is the pick.
After that, the following week tails off again. Saturday the 22nd drops in size and the wind picks up strong, making things tougher. The rest of the window into the 26th is small and weak, with energy levels sinking back under 200. Not much to get excited about.
So, the call is simple: wait it out through the slop and rubbish conditions until Friday the 21st. The morning at The Left is your best shot by a long way.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu night, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Thu night, fresh winds from the W by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | N 7 | W 11 | W 10 | WSW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | NW 9 | NNW 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 160 | 78 | 39 | 40 | 78 | 33 | 64 | 108 | 98 | 90 | 79 | 157 | 83 | 239 | 182 | 264 | 165 | 92 | 78 | 80 | 109 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 8:20AM4.63m | 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 | 2:19PM1.67m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | |
 | 5:24 | — | — | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 16 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 13 | 15 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | W 10 | W 6 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | N 9 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | W 8 | NNW 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 160 | 78 | 39 | 15 | 78 | 16 | 64 | 108 | 98 | 61 | 66 | 41 | 40 | 38 | 136 | 264 | 165 | 92 | 78 | 63 | 109 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 11 | N 7 | WSW 10 | W 6 | N 10 | N 9 | E 6 | W 9 | E 6 | W 8 | NW 11 | N 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 10 | W 9 | N 8 |
| kJ | 16 | 15 | 8 | 40 | 15 | 33 | 6 | 52 | 43 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 71 | 75 | 37 | 25 | 31 | 80 | 29 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | W 9 | W 8 | SE 5 | N 7 | N 8 | SE 6 | SE 6 | — | SE 5 | — | W 9 | E 6 | — | — | — | W 12 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — |
| kJ | 2 | — | 2 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 13 | 6 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | SE 3 | SE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 90 | 79 | 157 | 83 | 239 | 182 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 278 | 63 | 17 | 773 | 954 | 82 | 32 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 0 |
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.
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