Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let's break it down.

First up, we're looking at Thurso Beach, and I've got to be straight with you – the next week and a half is a bit of a mixed bag. The water's sitting at 55.4°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, no surprises there.

The outlook kicks off on Tuesday 21st July, but honestly, it's a write-off. We've got a 7.9ft swell from the WNW, but with a 25 mph cross-wind, it's just messy cross-chop. Not worth paddling out for. That poor form continues right through Thursday 23rd, with similar sizes but the wind staying cross or cross-on, keeping things lumpy and choppy.

Friday 24th looks a little more interesting. The swell is still solid, around 7.2ft to 7.9ft from the west, and the wind swings cross-off in the morning, which cleans it up nicely. The combined energy is moderate to strong (813), but the cross-shore wind picks up again in the afternoon. It's a maybe, but not a standout.

Then, hold on. Sunday 26th July morning is where things get good. The swell drops to 4.3ft from the WNW, but the wind turns offshore from the SSE at only 9 mph. That's clean, gentle offshore conditions. The combined energy is still moderate (518), and the period is a solid 10 seconds, so there'll be some proper shape. It's a small window, but for a beginner-friendly spot that's fairly consistent, this is your best bet in the first week. The crowds are sometimes an issue, but for a clean Sunday morning, you might find a few others out.

Monday 27th sees a big jump in size – 9.8ft from the WNW with a 10-second period. That's a lot of water moving, with combined energy hitting 1795. This is expert territory only. The morning wind is cross-off, so it'll be clean, but at that size, the beach break is going to be heavy and powerful. Not for the faint-hearted. The afternoon stays big but gets cross-shore.

The rest of the week drops off a bit. We get a few more marginal days – Tuesday 28th morning has a small 4.9ft swell with clean cross-off wind, but it's not going to get the heart racing. The real issue is that from the end of July into early August, the swell fades away. We're looking at a gap from around Saturday 1st August through to Wednesday 5th August where the swell is tiny – under 3.3ft – and the wind is often howling or onshore. There's a brief moment on Friday 31st July afternoon with a 3.3ft swell and glassy conditions, but it's very ordinary.

All in all, if you're looking to get wet, circle Sunday 26th July morning. It's the cleanest, most user-friendly window. The rest of the run is either too big, too windy, or too small. For the second week, it's a waiting game.

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