Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Thurso. We’ve got a real mixed bag ahead. The opening days are tiny and the real energy doesn't show up until the second week, but it comes with a nasty wind price tag. The water temp is sitting right about average for July, nothing wild there.

Right now on Monday the 13th, it’s a slow start. We’re looking at ankle-to-knee high swell, 2ft coming from the WNW with a short period of 8 seconds. The energy is weak (60), and while the wind is light cross-off from the east, the waves are just too small to get excited about. The same goes for Tuesday morning the 14th – a slight bump to 3ft but still hardly worth the paddle.

Wednesday through the following Sunday is pretty much a write-off. Tiny surf and mostly onshore or cross-shore winds. The swell tries to build a bit on Sunday the 19th, hitting 5ft, but the period drops to a pathetic 5 seconds and the WNW wind cranks up to 15-19 mph. The combined energy hits 230 but it’s a messy, lumpy cross-chop. Not surfable in any nice way.

The real peak of the forecast, and the only true standout, is the early morning of Thursday the 23rd. The swell hangs around 3ft from the WNW with a period of 8 seconds, energy at a moderate (122). The real story is the wind: dead glassy, a light NNW breeze at 3 mph turning it cross-off. That’s the cleanest window we’ll see. It's only a small wave, but for a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent beach break like Thurso Beach, that glassy morning is your best bet. Keep in mind, even with the light crowds, it can get a little busy when it’s that clean.

After that, the following Monday the 27th offers a tiny 3ft knee-high wave but with clean cross-off winds again. It’s nothing special but at least you can get wet. The forecast caps off on Tuesday the 28th with a solid 5ft groundswell from the west, period stretching to a nice 12 seconds, and a massive combined energy of 565. That’s a lot of power heading in. But the wind is onshore from the NW at 12 mph, making it choppy. For a beach break with a longer period swell like that, the waves will be closing out fast. It’s a real shame – the power is there, but the conditions are blown.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is mostly dead. The standout is the glassy Thursday the 23rd morning for the cleanest small waves. The big energy at the end of the run is there, but it’s windswept and messy. If you’re a kiter, that last Tuesday afternoon with 7ft and strong cross-winds might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s not your day.

Rusty.

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