Thurso Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.60° N 3.52° W

Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 13 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thurso Beach sea temperature is
13.3° C
0.2° 

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 13 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, W swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 9s period, W swell with 710 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. 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 2.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 7PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 4PM (Thu 13th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 11s
Best Surf 4PM (Thu 13th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 11s
Most Powerful 1PM (Thu 20th Aug)7ft (2.1m) 9s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for us at Thurso Beach.

Honestly, I’m looking at this 16-day window and it’s a bit of a struggle. We’ve got a lot of days where the conditions are just ordinary or poor. The first spot that shows any real promise doesn’t come around until Thursday the 13th, but even then it’s a teaser.

For Thursday the 13th, we’re looking at a tiny 1ft to 2ft swell from the WSW and west, with a period around 11 seconds. The water temp is sitting at 56°, and with a anomaly of only -0.4°, that’s pretty much spot on for this time of year. The wind is dead glass in the morning, turning to a light 3 mph northerly in the afternoon, keeping it glassy. It’s surfable, sure, but with combined wave energy sitting at a weak 61 to 115, there’s just not a lot of push. Still, it’s the best we’ll see for a few days, and perfect for a beginner or someone just wanting to get wet on a longboard.

After that, things go downhill fast. We have a run from Friday the 14th through to Monday the 17th where the wind is up, the quality is poor, and the swell stays messy. There’s a glimmer on Sunday the 16th morning with a clean 3ft from the WNW, but the energy is still low and the wind shifts, so it’s not a standout.

There’s a gap of really poor conditions right through to Thursday the 20th. That day, the swell bumps up to 5ft to 7ft from the west with a combined energy reading of 419 to 609 – that’s moderate to strong energy for sure. But the wind is straight onshore from the north-northeast at 9 mph, so the face is going to be blown out and messy. That kind of size with onshore wind and a beach break setup is honestly more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers. Not recommended for a paddle.

The rest of the window, right through to Friday the 28th, is a story of small, weak swell or blown-out conditions. There’s a few moments on Sunday the 23rd and Thursday the 27th with glassy or clean conditions, but those are on tiny 1ft to 2ft swells with energy in the teens – really not worth getting excited about.

So, the short version: the only real window for a wave this fortnight is Thursday the 13th, and that’s just a small, glassy knee-high dribble. Everything else is blown out or flat. For an area like this, a long run of poor conditions is not that unusual, but it doesn’t mean it stays that way forever. Forecasts can change. For now, keep the board waxed and wait for the next system.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
WSW
11
0.6
W
11
0.6
W
10
0.5
W
10
1.2
W
5
1.4
W
6
1.1
W
6
1.2
W
8
1.1
W
8
0.9
WNW
8
0.8
NNW
8
0.8
N
8
0.7
N
8
0.7
N
8
0.5
N
8
0.4
W
8
0.3
W
8
0.3
W
8
0.5
W
8
0.5
W
8
1
W
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
43
81
73
47
71
119
74
200
165
99
85
74
63
63
34
20
10
10
35
35
162
Wind (km/h)
0
W
5
N
10
SSE
20
WNW
30
W
25
W
25
W
25
WNW
10
NW
5
SE
15
WNW
5
NW
15
SE
20
SE
25
SE
25
ESE
25
ESE
15
SE
20
ESE
20
E
10
NE
Wind State
glassy
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
High Tide
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
1:10PM4.35m
1:17AM4.51m
1:52PM4.13m
2:06AM4.17m
Low Tide
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
6:55AM1.57m
7:03PM1.99m
7:36AM1.93m
7:49PM2.25m
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
cloud
cloud
light rain
mod rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
mod rain
light rain
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:28
5:31
5:33
5:35
5:37
5:39
5:41
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:07
9:05
9:01
8:59
8:57
8:53
8:51
 mm
1
4
1
3
1
2
6
2
1
5
7
2
Temp °C
20
18
17
17
16
13
14
14
12
12
12
12
13
13
12
12
12
12
12
11
11
Feels °C
21
19
17
13
11
9
9
10
10
11
9
10
10
9
8
8
8
9
9
7
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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