The Maze (Tiree) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what The Maze on Tiree has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a bit of a grim start. The first solid recommendation doesn’t even pop up until the end of the month, so we’ve got a long stretch of waiting ahead.

The whole first week is pretty much a write-off. Tuesday the 21st through to Monday the 28th of July is just poor. We’ve got onshore and cross-onshore winds and lumpy, choppy conditions ruining any chance of a good wave. Even though an exposed west-facing spot like The Maze is seeing the swell (moderate energy around 386 on the 24th and building to a strong 807 on the 25th), the wind is just too nasty. With that onshore fury and size hitting over 5 ft on the 24th and 7 ft on the 25th, it’s actually getting into the too-big-for-beginners zone, but the quality is so bad it wouldn’t be fun for anyone. That stretch from the 24th to the 28th has a lot of west-northwest swell with moderate to strong energy (386 to 2820), but it’s all blown out.

Now, after that long, bleak gap, things start to turn. The first flicker of hope comes on Thursday the 30th of July. The Maze (Scotland, Tiree) finally cleans up with a light to moderate cross-offshore breeze from the SSE and SE. The swell is small, only 3 ft from the west with a short 8-second period, so it’s tiny. The energy is weak (85), and the score is still a “0”, but the word “clean” in the notes is what catches the eye. It’s a small, clean little session for a log or a high-volume board, but absolutely nothing to get excited about.

The standout window—and I mean the *only* true standout—shapes up for Friday the 31st of July. We’ve got a proper clean, cross-offshore wind from the SE at 22-25 mph, finally blowing right into the bank. The swell bumps up to a fun 4-4 ft from the west-northwest with a nice long 11-second period. The wave energy jumps to a solid 544, and the water temperature is about average for this time of year at Tiree. The crowd factor at The Maze is “sometimes”, so there’s a chance you might see a few others, but that offshore wind is a major positive – it will produce clean, lined-up waves. That long-period groundswell from the WNW is going to wrap in nicely and hold its shape, but just a heads-up: at a beach and point setup, those longer intervals can make waves break a bit straighter, so pick your peak carefully. This is the best on offer by a long shot. Saturday the 1st of August still holds clean conditions but the swell drops back to 3-3 ft, so Friday is the day.

After that, the second week into early August fades back into small, messy cross-onshore junk with weak energy. Monday the 4th has a small pulse of 3 ft onshore, but it’s another “poor surf” call. For the whole period, there’s a huge gap of nearly no surf until the 30th of July, so don’t hold your breath for the first week. The 31st of July is the one to pencil in, but with it being over a week away, treat it as a promising but uncertain call. If the weather gods hold, we’ll get a few clean ones.

Rusty, signing off.

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