Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Beach surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, W swell with 1,247 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period with N swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thurso Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Thurso Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Beach in the next 16 days are 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down the same stretch in the old numbers.
First thing’s first – the first week is a write-off. Nothing but lumpy, onshore mess and hardly a wave worth paddling for. The best day of the whole run is shaping up to be Friday, August 14th. That morning, we’re looking at a solid 8ft swell from the west, with a 10-second period, and the wind is light and offshore. That means clean, powerful waves with a combined energy of 1334 (moderate to strong energy). This is the standout, but it’s a big one – strictly for experienced surfers, as it’s well into expert territory. The water’s at 56°, which is about normal for this time of year.
The run-up to that Friday starts on Sunday, August 9th. The morning shows a 8ft west swell with a 10-second period and cross-offshore wind, but it’s only marginal. The energy is 1057, so it’s building, but conditions aren’t dialed in yet. Then Tuesday, August 11th gives us a clean window with a 5ft NNW swell, a 10-second period, and offshore wind from the southeast. The energy is 660, moderate, and it’s a much more manageable size for a wider range of surfers. That morning is a solid, clean option.
After the Friday morning standout, Saturday, August 15th holds on with clean conditions and a 7ft to 7ft swell from the west and WNW, with offshore winds. Still a decent size, but the period drops to 8 seconds, so it’s more of a local wind-swell, but still clean and rideable. Sunday, August 16th offers a smaller 5ft NNW swell with offshore winds in the morning – perfect for a fun, less demanding session.
There’s a big gap of poor conditions from the start up until the 9th, and then a few scattered days before the real gold on the 14th. So, if you’re looking for the best, circle Friday, August 14th. It’s a promising call, but it’s a week and a half out, so don’t lock it in just yet. After that, the swell drops off again into the end of the run.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue night, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Tue morning, calm by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sat morning, light winds from the NNW by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | NNE 7 | N 8 | N 7 | NNW 7 | N 7 | N 6 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 11 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 86 | 61 | 40 | 71 | 323 | 377 | 214 | 86 | 21 | 30 | 194 | 528 | 641 | 502 | 1247 | 1004 | 574 | 510 | 571 | 745 | 356 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | 1:46PM4.29m | 1:55AM4.48m | 2:44PM4.17m | 3:01AM4.28m | 3:55PM4.11m | 4:23AM4.15m | 5:15PM4.16m | 5:55AM4.19m | 6:32PM4.36m | 7:16AM4.39m | 7:36PM4.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:59PM1.93m | 7:34AM1.68m | 7:47PM2.10m | 8:27AM1.89m | 8:50PM2.27m | 9:36AM2.09m | 10:15PM2.33m | 11:01AM2.17m | 11:47PM2.18m | 12:22PM2.08m | 1:01AM1.85m | 1:26PM1.88m | 1:59AM1.47m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:07 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:27 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:20 | — | — | 9:16 | — | — | 9:15 |
mm | 7 | 8 | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 14 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 8 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 6 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | W 11 | W 10 | N 7 | WNW 4 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | N 8 | NW 14 | WNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 11 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 |
| kJ | 86 | 61 | 40 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 86 | 11 | 30 | 194 | 528 | 641 | 502 | 5 | 47 | 574 | 510 | 571 | 745 | 356 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | ESE 6 | E 6 | W 10 | N 6 | N 6 | NNE 6 | N 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | N 8 | N 8 | NW 12 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 10 | E 5 |
| kJ | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 440 | 189 | 88 | 92 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | W 7 | — | W 11 | E 6 | N 6 | W 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 11 | N 9 | SE 6 | — | N 8 | N 7 | SE 6 | WNW 12 | SE 6 | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 7 | NNE 7 | N 8 | N 7 | NNW 7 | WNW 5 | — | W 5 | SSW 3 | SSE 4 | SSW 4 | — | W 10 | W 10 | — | — | NW 4 | W 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 16 | 102 | 59 | 71 | 323 | 377 | 214 | 22 | — | 30 | 3 | 2 | 20 | — | 1247 | 1004 | — | — | 6 | 68 | 353 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 412 | 285 | 16 | 25 | 170 | 1101 | 313 | 255 | 8 | 28 | 0 | 417 | 422 | 574 | 422 | 784 | 755 | 657 | 290 | 290 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Thurso Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Thurso Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Thurso Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thurso Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thurso Beach 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 (Thurso Beach) 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 Thurso Beach 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 Thurso Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Scotland - North Coast, consider staying in Scrabster which is 2 km (1 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 31 km (19 miles) away, Kirkwall and Lossiemouth.
Nearest