
Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Beach surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, NNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s period, NW swell with 341 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period with NNW 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. 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 1.6m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 10AM. 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 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
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's on the cards for Thurso Beach over the next couple of weeks.
It's a bit of a slow start, to be honest. We've got a long stretch of poor conditions to work through before we see anything worth getting excited about. The first real flicker of hope doesn't come until the second week, so don't be in a rush.
For the first few days, from Saturday the 1st right through to the end of the first week, it's a write-off. The wind is all over the shop – cross, cross-on, and onshore, with a moderate breeze that's mushing up any small swell we've got. The swell is small and weak, with energy levels hanging around the low hundreds (184 to 26) and a period under 8 seconds, meaning it's just wind chop. Not worth paddling out for.
There's a bit of a change on Monday the 3rd, with a clean cross-off wind, but the swell is still too small and weak, topping out at 4 ft. It's clean but gutless. That pattern of clean but small holds through the week, but there's no real energy behind it.
Now, let's talk about the standout. The best of the whole forecast window is Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th. We get a glassy spell on the Sunday afternoon, with the wind dropping to zero and the water going flat calm. The swell picks up to 4 ft from the west with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 278. That's a solid, clean, and lined-up wave. Then Monday the 10th is even better. Glassy again in the morning, with a 5 ft swell from the west and 318 energy, building to 6 ft in the afternoon and a beefy 527 energy level. The period is still 8-9 seconds, so it's a local swell, but with that glassy surface and a solid 6 ft, it's going to be groomed and fun. The water will be about what you'd expect for this time of year, nothing too unusual.
After that, the surf drops off again. There's a brief window of clean conditions on Tuesday the 11th, but the swell is small and weak. We get a last blast on Saturday the 15th with a big 8 ft swell from the WNW and a hefty 599 energy, but the wind is howling out of the southeast at 18-25 mph. That's a strong, cross-off breeze, but it's going to be howling. For a beach break like Thurso, with that much wind and a big swell, it's going to be a messy, blown-out affair. It might be more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers, to be honest.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a no-go. The real highlight is that glassy spell on Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th with a solid 5 ft to 6 ft of clean swell. After that, it's a gamble.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 6 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
92 | 118 | 144 | 341 | 197 | 337 | 243 | 186 | 136 | 86 | 63 | 28 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 45 | 79 | 147 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:14AM4.61m | 11:15PM4.95m | 11:46AM4.59m | 11:48PM4.91m | 12:20PM4.52m | 00:23AM4.81m | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | 1:46PM4.29m | 1:55AM4.48m | 2:44PM4.17m | 3:01AM4.28m | 3:55PM4.11m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:03AM1.31m | 5:10PM1.63m | 5:36AM1.32m | 5:43PM1.68m | 6:12AM1.38m | 6:19PM1.78m | 6:50AM1.50m | 6:59PM1.93m | 7:34AM1.68m | 7:47PM2.10m | 8:27AM1.89m | 8:50PM2.27m | 9:36AM2.09m | 10:15PM2.33m | |||||||
5:01 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:36 | — | — | 9:34 | — | — | 9:31 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:27 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:22 | |
mm | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | 7 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | — | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | W 10 | W 5 | W 9 | WNW 8 |
90 | 118 | 144 | — | 197 | 337 | 243 | 186 | 136 | 86 | 63 | 28 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 16 | 79 | 147 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | N 6 | W 9 | W 5 | NE 6 |
2 | 2 | 15 | — | 135 | 54 | 26 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 17 | 3 | 45 | 11 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | NW 7 | W 9 | W 10 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 5 | — | N 6 | N 6 | N 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 8 | — | — | — | SE 2 | SSE 3 | SE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | — | — | SE 4 | W 4 | — | SE 5 | — |
92 | 64 | 69 | 341 | — | — | — | 1 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 1 | 6 | — | 1 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 818 | 834 | 53 | 53 | 165 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 73 | 392 | 41 | 71 | 313 | 947 | 458 | 426 | 780 | 191 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
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.











