Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Thurso Beach for the next couple of weeks. Let’s get into it.

The forecast starts off with a bit of a bum note. Wednesday the 2nd is looking pretty average – a WNW cross-on breeze is messing up a 8ft swell from the NNW. The energy is strong (1101), but the wind is making it choppy and uninviting. Not the day to get excited about.

Thursday the 3rd brings a bit more hope, but the swell drops fast. By the afternoon, we’ve got a clean-looking 3ft from the N, but with a WSW cross-off wind, it’s just too small to get excited about.

Friday the 4th is where things get weird. The morning has a 8ft W swell with a 12-second period, and it’s clean with a cross-off wind. That’s a nice bit of groundswell, but the wind is going to be a fresh 19 mph, making it lumpy. The afternoon is a write-off – 13ft and 31 mph winds. That’s not surfing, that’s survival.

The weekend is a mixed bag. Saturday the 5th is windy and cross-shore, with a 10ft WNW swell (1562 energy) but it’s lumpy. Sunday the 6th is the first real standout. The morning sees a 4ft WNW swell, but the wind has swung around to a light SSE offshore. It’s small, but the clean conditions make it surfable for the keen ones. The afternoon is even cleaner, but the swell drops to 3ft.

Monday the 7th is a hidden gem. The morning is gentle offshore from the S, with a 4ft W swell. By the afternoon, the swell builds to 5ft, the wind stays light offshore, and the energy (481) is building. This is your best bet in the first week: clean, friendly, 5ft W swell, gentle offshore. A proper session for the patient.

Tuesday the 8th sees a 8ft W swell arrive in the morning, but the wind is cross-off and clean. It’s a bit bigger now, but the afternoon is a washout – 13ft and cross-on from the NW, turning it into a mess.

Wednesday the 9th is a full-on humdinger – 15ft WNW swell, but onshore winds from the N at 25 mph. That’s a no-go zone. Too big and too ugly.

The middle of the second week is quiet. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are small and cross-on. Barely anything to ride.

Then, bam. Saturday the 12th looks like the real winner of the whole forecast. The morning is clean, glassy, with a 5ft W swell from a long 14-second period. The wind is a light SE cross-off. The energy is 969. This is a beautiful groundswell, clean and lined up. It’s a bit long-period for a beach break, so it might be a bit straight, but the conditions are so good it’s worth the paddle. This is the standout.

The afternoon of the 12th is still good – 5ft W, 13 seconds, still clean. But the morning is the best.

Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th are small and clean, but not much size. However, Monday afternoon sees a 7ft W swell with a 14-second period and 2075 energy. That’s a big, clean groundswell. The wind is SSE cross-off. This is a very promising session for the experienced crew.

Tuesday the 15th is another good one: 6ft W, 13 seconds, clean in the morning. The afternoon goes to 8ft WNW with a 12-second period, but the wind goes cross-shore, so it’s not as clean.

Wednesday the 16th is a total glass-off in the morning – 3ft W, 10 seconds, with no wind. Surfable, but small.

The final days of the forecast, the 17th, see a 8ft W swell with a cross-off wind, but it’s a fresh breeze, so it’s lumpy.

Overall, the first week is a slow burn, but Monday the 7th is your best bet for a clean, fun session. The real gold is on Saturday the 12th morning – that’s the standout of the whole 16 days. The water temp is around 57°, which is about normal for this time of year.

Rusty.

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