Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer here in the Thurso region. The forecast is a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. We’ve got a real pulse of swell coming through, but the wind is going to be a pain for a lot of it. The real standout windows are going to be when that wind drops out and we get some clean conditions.

The first real chance for a surf comes on Monday, the 27th of July. Up until then, it’s been a write-off. Thursday the 23rd through to Sunday the 26th are all a mess with strong cross-shore and onshore winds, making the surf pretty poor despite some solid swell. That 12ft WNW swell on Saturday the 25th looks massive, but with strong cross-onshore winds, it’s just a washing machine out there.

Now, Monday the 27th afternoon is where it gets interesting. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the west with a 10-second period, which is a decent groundswell, and the wind swings around to a light offshore from the south. That’s going to clean things right up. The combined energy is moderate at 627, so there’s some push. Thurso Beach is the spot here, and it’s fairly exposed, so it’ll pick up that west swell. The water temperature is about 55°, which is bang on normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. This is a solid shout for a session.

Then we get another clean window on Tuesday the 28th. The morning is clean with a moderate cross-offshore breeze and a 5ft west swell (period 9 seconds), but the real sweet spot is the Tuesday afternoon. The wind drops to a light south-westerly cross-offshore, with a 5ft west swell. The energy is moderate at 447, and it’s clean. That’s another good one.

Wednesday the 30th also has a nice morning window. A light south-westerly cross-offshore breeze with a 4ft west swell, period 9 seconds, and clean conditions. The energy is still moderate at 305.

After that, the swell really drops off. From the 31st of July onwards, we’re looking at a lot of small, weak surf, mostly under 3ft, with poor winds. There’s a long gap of several days with very little to recommend. By the 5th of August, we get a little bump of 5ft from the north-west, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is cross-on, so it’s not going to be great.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Monday 27th July afternoon and Tuesday 28th July afternoon at Thurso Beach. That’s where you’ll find clean, surfable waves with a decent groundswell and light offshore or cross-offshore winds. Don’t bother with the rest of the first week; it’s too windy. The second week is looking very skinny and unreliable.

Rusty.

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