Thurso Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.60° N 3.52° W

Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 09 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thurso Beach sea temperature is
13.5°C
0.8° 

Thurso Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Thurso Beach surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, WNW swell with 4,355 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period with W 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 12) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7PM (Wed 9th Sep)3.5ft (1.0m) 9s
Best Surf 7PM (Sat 12th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 12s
Most Powerful 1PM (Sat 12th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Beach over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. We’re looking at a solid window for Thurso Beach, but it’s not all plain sailing. The next week or so is a mixed bag of onshore slop and raw power, with a couple of proper standouts that’ll have you reaching for your wettie. The good news is the consistency is there, and when the stars align, this place pumps.

Let’s start with the early part. Wednesday and Thursday (9th and 10th September) are pretty ordinary. You’ve got a weak, short-period W swell around 3ft to 4ft, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-off, and the wave energy is low (406 down to 99). The water temp is about average for the time of year. Not worth rushing for.

Friday 11th September gets a bit of a pulse – 7ft W swell, but with a nasty 35 km/h cross-wind and a short period of 7 seconds. The ocean’s going to be lumpy and messy. The afternoon cleans up a touch with a 9-second period, but it’s still marginal.

Now, here’s the first real standout: Saturday 12th September morning. The swell jumps to 12ft from the WNW with a very long 13-second period. The combined swell energy is a whopping 3669 – that’s strong. BUT, this is a beach break, and that long-period groundswell tends to wall up and close out on sand. Plus, it’s too big for beginners and pushing expert-only territory. The wind is a clean cross-off, so the sets will look epic, but only for the experienced crew. The afternoon drops to 10ft, but the wind swings cross-on and it gets choppy.

Sunday 13th September has a glassy afternoon – 6ft WNW swell, 11-second period, zero wind. The wave energy is still strong (1006). This is clean, groomed, and inviting. A solid pick for a fun session.

The middle of the week (15th to 18th) drops off hard. Strong winds and messy cross-shore chop kill the quality. There’s a 3ft glassy window on Thursday 17th morning, but the swell is weak and short. Not worth the paddle.

Now, the second week brings hope. Monday 21st September morning is a beauty. 6ft WNW groundswell, 13-second period, light cross-off breeze, clean. The energy is solid (1139). This is a proper long-period swell that will wrap nicely around the point. The beach might be a bit straight, but it’ll be fun and well-shaped. Crowds can be around sometimes.

And the absolute standout for the whole outlook: Wednesday 23rd September afternoon. The swell is 6ft from the W, period at a lovely 13 seconds, and the wind goes glassy – dead calm. Wave energy is strong (1170). This is the session you wait for. Clean, groomed, with long lines. Thursday 24th morning also looks excellent: 8ft WNW, 11-second period, light offshore, clean. That one’s for the experienced crew only, but it’s a proper session.

So, if you’re picking your moment, the glassy Sunday 13th afternoon is great, but the real standouts are Monday 21st morning and especially Wednesday 23rd afternoon. Get on it.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the W by Fri morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Sat morning, calm by Sun afternoon).

Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
4
3
0
3
1
1
3
2
2
3
0
1
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
W
10
1
W
9
0.6
W
8
0.8
W
7
0.8
W
8
1.7
W
10
2.1
W
7
2.2
W
9
2.4
W
11
3
WNW
13
3.5
WNW
12
2.5
WNW
12
2.2
WNW
11
1.9
WNW
11
1.4
NNW
11
1.3
NNW
11
1.1
NNW
11
1.5
W
10
1.1
W
11
2
W
10
1.8
WNW
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
230
157
48
70
72
621
428
800
1509
2822
3585
2020
1142
793
471
454
308
477
282
824
543
Wind (km/h)
25
WNW
10
WNW
15
S
20
SSE
20
SSE
30
WSW
35
W
30
WSW
20
SSW
30
S
40
WNW
20
WSW
15
W
10
NW
15
SSE
20
SSE
20
S
15
S
30
WSW
30
WSW
30
W
Wind State
cross-on
cross
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
off
off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
High Tide
8:17PM4.95m
9:00AM4.89m
9:00PM5.19m
9:38AM5.00m
9:38PM5.31m
10:12AM5.01m
10:14PM5.32m
10:45AM4.94m
10:49PM5.21m
11:16AM4.81m
11:23PM5.00m
11:47AM4.64m
11:58PM4.71m
Low Tide
2:08PM1.71m
2:35AM1.05m
2:50PM1.49m
3:16AM0.87m
3:29PM1.34m
3:55AM0.82m
4:05PM1.28m
4:31AM0.90m
4:40PM1.32m
5:06AM1.09m
5:15PM1.44m
5:39AM1.36m
5:50PM1.64m
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
clear
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
mod rain
part cloud
mod rain
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:28
6:30
6:33
6:35
6:37
6:39
6:41
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:52
7:50
7:46
7:44
7:40
7:37
7:35
 mm
1
3
1
7
7
Temp °C
12
13
11
13
15
14
13
14
12
13
13
11
14
13
12
12
17
16
16
16
13
Feels °C
7
10
7
8
11
10
6
7
8
7
5
6
10
10
9
9
14
12
10
11
7
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Thurso Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest