Thurso Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.60° N 3.52° W

Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 13 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thurso Beach sea temperature is
12.8° C
0.4° 

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 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, WNW swell with 273 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with WNW 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 Monday (Jul 13) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Beach in the next 16 days are 1.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 1PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Mon 13th Jul)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Best Surf 7AM (Tue 14th Jul)3ft (0.9m) 12s
Most Powerful 1PM (Tue 14th Jul)3.5ft (1.0m) 11s

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


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.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
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
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
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)
0.6
WNW
8
0.6
WNW
8
0.6
WNW
9
0.8
WNW
10
1
W
11
0.8
W
10
0.6
W
9
0.5
W
9
0.4
W
9
0.4
W
9
0.4
W
8
0.4
W
9
0.4
W
9
0.5
W
10
0.5
W
9
0.5
W
8
0.7
NW
8
0.8
WNW
7
1.4
WNW
5
1.5
NW
6
1.3
WNW
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
51
47
62
123
242
127
64
40
25
26
22
24
24
52
42
34
59
56
106
159
120
Wind (km/h)
15
E
15
ESE
10
SE
10
ESE
20
ESE
15
SE
20
SE
20
ESE
15
SE
15
SE
15
ESE
5
SE
10
NNW
15
NNW
15
NNW
10
NNW
10
NNW
20
WNW
25
WNW
30
WNW
20
W
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
on
on
on
on
on
cross
cross
cross
cross
High Tide
8:15AM4.66m
8:36PM4.92m
9:14AM4.82m
9:27PM5.10m
10:07AM4.91m
10:14PM5.21m
10:57AM4.92m
10:59PM5.25m
11:45AM4.85m
11:44PM5.19m
12:31PM4.70m
00:29AM5.05m
1:16PM4.50m
1:14AM4.84m
Low Tide
2:27PM1.53m
2:58AM1.22m
3:16PM1.44m
3:47AM0.99m
4:03PM1.40m
4:34AM0.87m
4:47PM1.44m
5:20AM0.88m
5:31PM1.54m
6:05AM1.00m
6:14PM1.70m
6:51AM1.22m
6:58PM1.91m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
4:24
4:26
4:28
4:30
4:31
4:33
4:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
10:12
10:10
10:08
10:07
10:06
10:05
10:02
 mm
Temp °C
14
15
13
16
17
14
19
20
19
20
19
17
16
14
11
13
14
12
13
14
14
Feels °C
10
11
11
13
14
11
16
16
15
17
16
15
14
11
8
11
12
9
8
8
10
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Thurso Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Thurso Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest