Thurso Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with the outlook for the Thurso Beach stretch. Gotta be straight with you – it's a bit of a quiet spell ahead. The first window with any surf that's even worth talking about is Monday the 17th, and even then, it's not setting the world on fire. The period before that is a total write-off with messy, onshore junk, so you might as well hang the boards up for the rest of this weekend.

Let's get into it. The water is sitting at 56°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Monday morning, the 17th of August, is your first real chance to get wet. We've got a tiny 2ft swell from the N, but the secret weapon here is that ESE wind. It's light and cross-offshore, making the beach break look clean. There's not much energy behind it at all, just 82 (weak wave energy), so you'll be on a longboard or a foamie, gently cruising. The afternoon stays clean with a 2ft W swell, but the wind picks up to a moderate breeze, so it's a morning mission if anything.

Tuesday the 18th is even smaller – 2ft from the N, with only 37 (weak wave energy). The morning's clean with a light cross-off, but it's survival surfing for the skilled. Beginners will just be floating around.

We get a tiny pulse mid-week. Wednesday the 19th of August morning shows 3ft from the W with 152 (moderate wave energy). Wind is super light, clean conditions, but it's still a very average wave. The period is a short 9 seconds, so it's a bit weak and crumbly.

The end of the first week and the start of the second look pretty grim. From Thursday the 20th right through to Wednesday the 27th, it's all onshore winds or cross-on junk. Swell heights bobble around from 3ft to 5ft, but the wind just trashes it. The peak of this messy period is Wednesday the 26th of August morning, with a 5ft swell from the NW and 324 (moderate wave energy). The period is short at 7 seconds, and with a cross-shore wind, it's just a lumpy, bumpy mess. This is way more appealing for kite gear than trying to paddle into those closeouts.

Then, out of nowhere, Thursday the 27th of August morning offers a little treat. The swell drops back to 3ft from the N, but the wind goes glassy – a light SSW breeze, recorded as glass conditions. With 144 (moderate wave energy) and a longer 9-second period, it'll be glassy and clean. It's the best of a very average bunch, but still just "surfable waves, ordinary conditions."

Honestly, looking at the whole 16 days, there's nothing that's a true standout. The best on offer is that glassy Thursday morning the 27th, but it's still only a small wave. The rest of the window into the end of August is weak, with very small swells and strong cross-offshore winds that'll keep things clean but tiny. It's not a good run for Thurso, but things can always change. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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