Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here, looking at what’s on the table for Thurso Beach.

Straight up, it’s a rough start. We’ve got a long dry spell kicking off this outlook. From Monday the 24th of August right through to Thursday the 3rd of September, there’s barely a wave worth paddling for. The first few days show some waist-high swell, but it’s messy, the wind is cross or cross-off, and the scores tell the story – it’s just not happening. You’ll be sitting there watching closeouts or wind-chopped slop. Thursday the 27th afternoon offers a brief flicker of clean, surfable conditions with a tiny 2ft swell from the west, but it’s weak, with only 60 units of combined energy. Not enough to get excited about.

That gap stretches nearly a week and a half. The only real glimmer in this whole run comes much later, on Saturday the 5th of September. The morning brings a big 13ft swell out of the WNW with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind is cross-off, keeping things clean. Combined energy is a solid 3115 (moderate to strong). But here’s the catch – that’s too big for this beach break. Over 8ft, it’s expert territory only, and even then, it’s pushing the limits for a fairly exposed beach. The afternoon drops to 10ft, still big, but still more suited to the crew with serious experience.

Then, Sunday the 6th of September morning sees a drop to 5ft from the west with a long 12-second period, cross-off wind, and combined energy of 1102. That’s cleaner and more manageable, but the conditions are still called marginal. Not a standout, but at least it’s surfable for a wider range.

The real monster shows up on Tuesday the 8th of September. We’re talking a 24ft swell in the morning, 18-second period from the west, and combined energy of 37183 – that’s extremely strong. Wind is light and offshore. This is purely for the elite, and even then, it’s likely too much for this beach. The afternoon stays huge at 28ft with a 15-second period. Both sessions are flagged as too big for the break. This is more of a watch-from-the-cliffs kind of day.

For the best on offer, I’d have to point to Saturday the 5th of September morning for the big-wave hunters, and Sunday the 6th of September morning for the slightly more reasonable, cleaner 5ft groundswell. But honestly, this is a tough run for Thurso Beach. The water temp is 56°F, which is about average for this time of year. No real standouts for the average punter until that second week, and even then, it’s either too small or way too big.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the forecasts – it tends not to stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

Read more