
Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Beach surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s period, NNW swell with 315 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s 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 (Aug 12) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Beach in the next 16 days are 1.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's get straight into it. This forecast for Thurso Beach is a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. We've got some days with the right swell direction coming in from the northwest, but the wind's usually got some cross in it. The combined swell energy is mostly moderate, starting at 123 and working its way up, but we have to play the waiting game for the right conditions. The standout window looks to be Friday the 21st of August where it all seems to click.
Let's break it down. This week starts quiet. Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th are flat and messy, so don't bother. Thursday the 13th sees a tiny 2 ft to 2 ft swell from the west with a 10-11 second period, and the wind is kind to us with clean conditions. The energy is low to moderate (82-118), so it's surfable but very ordinary. You'll get some waves, but nothing special. Friday the 14th is a write-off with strong cross-onshore winds from the WNW making a chop of it, even with a little more energy (138). Saturday the 15th is a no-go as well: a fresh cross-shore wind and a messy 4 ft WNW swell with a 6 second period—that's pure wind chop. Sunday the 16th is marginal at best; we get a 5 ft NNW swell (350 energy) but the wind is cross-onshore, so the quality is poor.
Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th are more of the same, with poor conditions. The wind finally backs off on Tuesday the 18th afternoon, giving us a brief window of offshore wind from the SSE and a clean 4 ft swell from the west (157 energy). That's surfable, but ordinary. Wednesday the 19th sees a building 5 ft WNW swell (487 energy) but the wind's gone cross-onshore again, chopping it up. Thursday the 20th is blown out with fresh cross-shore winds, so forget it.
Now, Friday the 21st of August is our best bet. The morning looks solid: a 5 ft swell from the west with an 11-second period, and the wind is offshore from the SSE. That's clean conditions and combined swell energy is pumping at 524. That's a good session on offer. The afternoon holds up okay, too, at 5 ft, but the wind swings more cross-off. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd drop back down to clean but smaller waves (3 ft to 3 ft) with fresh winds, so the quality is poor despite the glassy look.
The surf fades out after that with small, short-period swells and gusty winds through the rest of the 16-day window.
So, to sum it up: Friday the 21st of August is the standout. The 5 ft west swell, clean offshore wind, and strong energy (524) add up to the best day on offer. For a beginner, the 1 ft to 2 ft swell days like Thursday the 13th could work, but the quality is poor. For the experienced surfer, wait for that Friday session and the 5 ft+ groundswell from the west.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu night, min 11°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 7 | W 12 | W 10 | WSW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | N 10 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
105 | 60 | 27 | 23 | 78 | 33 | 64 | 80 | 71 | 94 | 46 | 157 | 113 | 212 | 182 | 275 | 171 | 74 | 54 | 81 | 109 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 8:20AM4.63m | 8:30PM4.91m | 9:12AM4.84m | 9:16PM5.15m | 9:57AM4.97m | 9:59PM5.31m | 10:39AM4.99m | 10:40PM5.35m | 11:18AM4.92m | 11:19PM5.28m | 11:55AM4.77m | 11:57PM5.10m | 12:32PM4.57m | 00:36AM4.83m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:19PM1.67m | 2:49AM1.13m | 3:05PM1.49m | 3:34AM0.89m | 3:48PM1.37m | 4:17AM0.79m | 4:28PM1.34m | 4:58AM0.82m | 5:07PM1.40m | 5:37AM0.98m | 5:45PM1.53m | 6:16AM1.25m | 6:23PM1.74m | ||||||||
5:24 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:12 | — | — | 9:09 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:05 | — | — | 9:01 | — | 8:59 | — | — | 8:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 16 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Feels °C | 9 | 13 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | W 10 | W 6 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | N 9 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | W 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | W 8 |
105 | 60 | 27 | 15 | 78 | 17 | 64 | 80 | 71 | 42 | 46 | 41 | 25 | 24 | 165 | 275 | 171 | 74 | 54 | 81 | 109 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 12 | N 7 | WSW 10 | W 6 | N 10 | N 10 | SE 6 | W 9 | E 6 | E 5 | N 11 | N 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | N 8 | N 7 |
16 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 8 | 33 | 6 | 33 | 44 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 53 | 75 | 38 | 26 | 15 | 42 | 17 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | ESE 5 | N 7 | N 8 | W 5 | SE 6 | N 11 | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | W 10 | WNW 6 | E 5 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 32 | 6 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 2 | SE 3 | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | WNW 4 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 3 |
1 | 2 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | 9 | 157 | 113 | 212 | 182 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 281 | 71 | 24 | 772 | 953 | 89 | 31 | 94 | 94 | 94 | 94 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











