Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the coming weeks.

To be straight with you, the start of this forecast is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a long gap of nothing good. For the first few days, it’s all cross-shore and onshore winds with messy, choppy conditions. The swell is there, but it’s not clean. That changes a little towards the end of the first week, but it’s still a struggle.

The first real chance of a surf comes on Monday, July 27th. The morning is still a bit iffy, but the afternoon shapes up nicely. The wind swings offshore from the south, and the sea turns clean. The swell is coming from the west at 6ft, with a period of 10 seconds, giving a moderate wave energy of 748. It’s a solid, workable wave for someone who knows what they’re doing. Thurso Beach (Scotland) is a fairly consistent spot, and the water temperature is about 55°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Tuesday, July 28th is the standout. The afternoon is the pick of the whole run. You’ve got a fresh offshore breeze from the south-southwest, cleaning up a 7ft west swell. The period is 9 seconds, and the energy is up at 778. That’s a proper, punchy wave with clean faces. It’s a bit on the bigger side, so not one for the beginners, but for anyone with a bit of experience, this is the one to point the car at. The crowds are listed as ‘sometimes’ here, so you might have a few others for company, but it’s worth it.

After that, things drop off again. Wednesday, July 29th keeps some clean morning conditions with a 6ft west swell, and the wind is light cross-offshore, but the energy is lower at 499. It’s a decent enough session, but nothing like the day before.

From Thursday, July 30th onwards, the wind messes it up again, turning cross and cross-on, and the swell starts to fade. The energy drops into the 300s and 200s. By the time we get into August, the swell is tiny, dropping below 3ft, and the energy is weak. There’s a small window on Wednesday, August 6th where the morning shows a clean 3ft west swell with light winds, but the energy is only 172. It’s a scrap, not a session.

So, overall, the best of it is a clear, two-day window: Monday afternoon through to Tuesday afternoon. Don’t get too excited about the later stuff; it’s a long way out and the models are less certain. For now, get on that Tuesday afternoon session.

Rusty.

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