The Maze (Tiree) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a long window ahead, and I’m gonna be straight with you—there’s a lot of waiting in this one. The first real chance of anything half-decent doesn’t show up until late August, so don’t bother waxing up just yet.

Right out of the gate, from the 23rd through most of the first week, it’s a tough slog. The Maze (Tiree) is seeing tiny dribbles, onshore wind, and weak combined energy—down around 41 to 50 in the early days. That’s not surf, that’s a float session. We get a little bump on Monday the 24th with a 5ft WNW swell pushing through, but the wind is cross-off from the SSE, so it’s clean but only marginal. Combined energy hits 460, which is moderate, but the score is low. Not worth the drive.

The rest of that week stays poor. The wind swings around, we get some offshore on Wednesday the 26th, but the swell is barely 2ft. Thursday and Friday are equally flat or weak. There’s a window on Saturday the 29th with 4ft swell but the wind is howling from the NNW at 22-25 mph, making it a messy, lumpy mess. That’s kite territory, not paddling.

Then we hit a quiet patch. Sunday the 30th through to Tuesday the 1st of September is mostly small, weak, and cross-shore. Combined energy stays below 100. Nothing doing.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 2nd of September. The Maze wakes up. We’ve got 7ft swell from the west, period of 8 seconds, and combined energy jumping to 484 in the morning and 551 in the afternoon. The wind is light to gentle from the SSW, cross-onshore, but it’s clean enough to be marginal. This is the first day that’s worth a look—decent size, moderate energy, and the break is fairly consistent. The crowd factor? It’s Tiree, so it’s only *sometimes* busy. That’s a big plus.

Thursday the 3rd brings the biggest swell of the forecast: 8ft from the WSW in the morning, combined energy up to 929—strong wave energy. But here’s the rub: that’s expert-only territory. If you’re not solid, sit this one out. The wind is a strong cross-off from the SE at 25 mph, so it’s clean but wild. It drops to 6ft in the afternoon.

The standout? Honestly, it’s Sunday the 6th of September. The Maze sees 4ft from the WNW, period of 8 seconds, combined energy of 214—moderate. But the wind? Glass. Zero mph from the WNW. That’s about as clean as it gets. Expect good surf conditions. This is your best bet for a proper, clean session with decent shape. The swell direction is W, which matches the break’s optimum, so it’ll line up nicely.

A quick heads up on the water: it’s about average for the time of year around Tiree, nothing unusual.

So to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The second week has a couple of windows. Wednesday the 2nd is a solid option for intermediate crew, but Sunday the 6th is the true gem—glassy, clean, and with a bit of push. Thursday the 3rd is for the hardcore only. Get out there if you can.

Rusty.

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