Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Thurso East has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a slow start, but a serious pulse of groundswell is brewing for early September that has the potential to be something special. Keep your expectations in check for the next week, then keep an eye on the calendar.

Right now, it’s quiet. Sunday the 23rd is a write-off with light onshore winds and weak, short-period bump at about 3ft from the WNW, period around 8 seconds. The energy is low (129), and the water here is sitting at 56°F, which is bang on average for this time of year. Nothing doing.

Things start to change Monday the 24th. A clean, moderate offshore breeze from the SE sets up for a decent morning. Swell pushes to 7ft from the WNW with a period of 11 seconds, so proper groundswell energy. Combined energy climbs to 973, which is a solid moderate push. The afternoon holds similar but a little smaller at 6ft (685). This is the first real window for a paddle, but it’s still not a standout. Tuesday the 25th drops off fast in size and quality, and after that, we hit a big gap. From Wednesday the 26th right through to Sunday the 30th, it’s a mess of onshore, cross-shore, and lumpy conditions with tiny swell. Monday the 31st offers a tiny glimmer with a 4ft, 9-second N swell and a cross breeze, but it’s marginal. Not worth the rigmarole.

That’s a solid block of flat to poor conditions for nearly a week. Don’t get too down though – the forecasts can spin around, and the long-range is where it’s at.

Now, here’s the one you’ve been waiting for. Around Saturday the 5th of September, a big, long-period swell from the west starts to flood in. Saturday morning shows 8ft at 11 seconds from the west, with just a light cross-on breeze. The combined energy jumps to 1326, moving into strong territory. By Sunday the 6th, it’s getting serious: 10ft at 10 seconds from the west, energy at 1804. The morning has some cross-shore ripple, but hold on for Sunday afternoon – a gentle offshore from the SE, clean conditions, and a solid 12ft at 10 seconds from the west. Energy blows up to 2274. That’s a strong, powerful groundswell. This is not for beginners, this is for experts only. Over 8ft means big, powerful waves.

The standout, without a doubt, is Monday the 7th of September. Morning shows a clean offshore from the SSE, 12ft swell from the WNW at 10 seconds, and the energy is a massive 2260. It's clean, lined up, and powerful. This is the kind of day you book off work for. The swell direction (WNW) lines up perfectly with this point break's optimum (NNW), so it’ll be holding its shape nicely. Keep in mind, with that size and period, the sets will have some real weight and there will be long waits between them. It’s a point break, so it should handle the long-period energy well, giving proper rides. Crowds are always a possibility here, especially on a day like this, so get there early.

Rusty.

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