Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Beach surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, WNW swell with 829 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Thursday (Jul 23) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. 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 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 9s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what Thurso Beach has cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta level with you – the first week and a bit is a total bust for proper surf. From Thursday 16th July right through the end of that first week, the conditions are just messy. We’ve got onshore and cross-onshore winds, a lot of chop, and the wave energy is all over the place. The combined swell energy is weak to moderate, starting at just 56 on the 16th and bouncing around under 200 for most of it. The swell is there, but it’s small and ugly. You’d be fighting a losing battle.
The real standout window doesn’t open up until the second week. Now, I know it’s a long way off, but Tuesday 28th July is the one that’s got my attention. The morning brings a cleaner setup with a cross-offshore breeze from the SW at 12 mph, and a 5 ft WNW groundswell with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy is a solid 535 – that’s a proper moderate punch. But it’s the Tuesday afternoon that looks like the pick of the whole forecast. The wind swings light and offshore from the ESE at 6 mph, turning the waves glassy. We’re looking at a clean 4 ft swell from the WNW, with 370 units of energy. That’s the kind of afternoon you’ll want to be in the water for. The water temp is about 55°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, so don’t expect any surprises there.
The rest of that second week is a mixed bag. Wednesday 29th July might give you a brief window of something with a glassy moment in the afternoon – a 3 ft W swell at 9 seconds – but it’s not a standout. There’s a big pulse of energy on the 24th and 27th July, with combined energy readings over 1000, but the wind is howling and the surface is messy. Those 10 ft and 7 ft swells are for the hardcore, wind-blown crew only.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a dud. The best bet is a clean, offshore afternoon on Tuesday 28th July at Thurso Beach. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, fairly consistent, and it gets a NW optimum swell, so that WNW groundswell should line up nicely. Just keep in mind, it can get crowded sometimes, so get in early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Thu night, fresh winds from the NW by Fri night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Sun afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the W by Tue night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 32 | 214 | 125 | 108 | 84 | 140 | 84 | 79 | 59 | 66 | 49 | 123 | 86 | 73 | 125 | 166 | 383 | 403 | 210 | 117 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 10:59PM5.25m | 11:45AM4.85m | 11:44PM5.19m | 12:31PM4.70m | 00:29AM5.05m | 1:16PM4.50m | 1:14AM4.84m | 2:04PM4.29m | 2:03AM4.58m | 2:54PM4.11m | 2:57AM4.31m | 3:51PM3.98m | 4:00AM4.08m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:47PM1.44m | 5:20AM0.88m | 5:31PM1.54m | 6:05AM1.00m | 6:14PM1.70m | 6:51AM1.22m | 6:58PM1.91m | 7:38AM1.51m | 7:46PM2.13m | 8:29AM1.81m | 8:40PM2.34m | 9:27AM2.09m | 9:49PM2.49m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — | 4:35 | — | — | 4:37 | — | — | 4:39 | — | — | 4:41 | — | — |
 | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 | — | — | 10:02 | — | — | 10:00 | — | — | 9:59 | — | — | 9:57 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 16 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NE 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | N 6 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 10 | N 8 | N 8 | WNW 9 | N 7 | N 6 |
| kJ | 24 | 214 | 125 | 108 | 84 | 2 | 84 | 79 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 123 | 86 | 68 | 47 | 11 | 1 | 28 | 44 | 19 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 13 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | N 6 | W 8 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | N 8 | — | — | — | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | 32 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 59 | 51 | 73 | 21 | — | — | — | 40 | 24 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 6 | — | N 7 | W 14 | W 9 | W 9 | N 6 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 4 | NW 6 | NW 8 | N 5 | N 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | — | — | — | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | — | — | 10 | 14 | 65 | 140 | 16 | 15 | 59 | 66 | 49 | — | — | — | 125 | 166 | 383 | 403 | 210 | 117 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 73 | 94 | 2463 | 71 | 94 | 73 | 1 | 71 | 25 | 161 | 71 | 71 | 305 | 359 | 170 | 313 | 458 | 191 | 0 |
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)
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