Thurso East Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.61° N 3.50° W

Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 28 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thurso East sea temperature is
13.8°C
0.7° 

Thurso East surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Thurso East surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, W swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, W swell with 6,709 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with N swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thurso East this week:

The surf forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Thurso East in the next 16 days are 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1PM (Sun 30th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 7s
Best Surf 7AM (Tue 1st Sep)5.5ft (1.7m) 8s
Most Powerful 7AM (Fri 4th Sep)13ft (4.0m) 14s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, grab a coffee, I’m Rusty, and I’m looking down the line for the next 16 days here. We’ve only got one spot in the frame – Thurso East. And honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the time, we’re dealing with messy, wind-affected conditions, a classic North Coast struggle. There is a big, clean window of opportunity, but you have to be patient and wait for it. The early part of the run up to September is a write-off for any decent paddling, so brace yourselves for a long gap before the good stuff.

Alright, for the first week, from Friday 28th August on, it’s pretty grim. We’re looking at tiny, poor surf with the wind blowing the wrong way. On Saturday 29th, you’ve got a 4ft NNW swell, but it’s cross-on and choppy – absolute garbage for a point break like this. The swell energy is weak, barely hitting 90 (moderate cross-onshore and choppy). It stays undersized and onshore through to the end of the month.

We get a tease on Tuesday 1st September morning. A 7ft west swell arrives with a strong, clean offshore SSE wind at 19 mph. That’s a solid start to the day. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 615 (fresh offshore and clean). But don’t get too excited because by the afternoon the wind screams around to a 28 mph cross-on, and it’s game over. Wednesday and Thursday are all wind and big, messy swell in the 7-8ft range, with the energy climbing into the high hundreds.

Then the real beast shows up. Friday 4th and Saturday 5th September are pure chaos. We’re talking about a massive 15ft west swell with a very long period of 14 seconds, and the combined energy is off the charts at 7155 (moderate cross-onshore and choppy). But it’s cross-on with howling wind, so it’s going to be a washing machine. That kind of size and wind, on a point, makes it more of a kite-surfing show than anything else.

There’s another big lull from Monday 7th to Wednesday 9th September, with tiny, blown-out waves you can’t do anything with. Wednesday 9th has a mad offshore gale at 31 mph, but the swell is only 1.0ft, so you’ll never get into it.

Now, here’s where we get the standout. Hold onto your board. On Thursday 10th September, the stars align. Thurso East will be firing. We’ve got a huge 15ft groundswell from the north, with a solid period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is colossal at 3829 (moderate offshore and clean). The wind is a beautiful, clean offshore breeze from the SSE at 12 mph. This is it. The optimum direction is NNW, and we’re getting NNW swell with an offshore wind. That’s a perfect setup for this heavy, expert-only rivermouth. The water temperature is picking up the tail end of summer. This is seriously heavy surf, over 8ft – absolutely for experts only. It’s the day to be there if you’ve got the nerve. The morning is the best call, as the afternoon still looks clean but maybe a touch less perfect. It’s a stand-out size and quality day, but mark it in your calendar – it’s over a week away.

After that, Friday 11th and Saturday 12th September see the swell easing but still big and lumpy, with winds turning onshore again, flushing the quality away. The long-range call on the 10th is the one for the brave.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu night, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Mon morning, near gales from the WNW by Tue night).

Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
2
1
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
W
8
0.7
NE
4
1
N
5
1.1
NNW
6
1.1
NNW
6
1.1
NNW
7
1
N
7
0.8
N
7
0.6
N
7
0.5
N
7
0.3
W
11
1.2
W
7
2
W
9
2.1
W
9
3
NW
9
2.3
NW
8
2
NNW
9
1.2
NNW
9
2.5
W
8
2.1
W
10
2.5
W
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
11
15
44
83
90
125
92
59
33
21
21
156
594
723
1429
719
688
238
712
865
2058
Wind (km/h)
15
ENE
25
N
20
N
20
NNW
20
N
15
NNE
10
NE
15
E
20
ESE
15
S
20
WNW
15
SSW
30
SSE
45
W
50
WNW
50
WNW
35
WNW
15
SSE
15
SSW
20
WSW
20
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
off
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
off
cross-off
cross
cross
High Tide
9:44AM4.72m
9:46PM5.03m
10:13AM4.81m
10:16PM5.11m
10:42AM4.84m
10:47PM5.13m
11:13AM4.82m
11:19PM5.06m
11:47AM4.72m
11:55PM4.92m
12:25PM4.57m
00:38AM4.69m
1:11PM4.38m
1:32AM4.40m
Low Tide
3:40PM1.52m
4:03AM1.17m
4:11PM1.43m
4:35AM1.10m
4:44PM1.40m
5:08AM1.12m
5:17PM1.45m
5:43AM1.23m
5:54PM1.57m
6:21AM1.42m
6:34PM1.76m
7:04AM1.70m
7:23PM1.99m
light rain
light rain
mod rain
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:01
6:03
6:05
6:07
6:11
6:13
6:15
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:27
8:23
8:21
8:17
8:15
8:12
8:09
 mm
3
5
7
1
3
1
2
1
2
Temp °C
14
13
13
13
13
12
13
13
13
15
13
13
13
12
11
11
11
11
15
14
11
Feels °C
12
8
10
9
9
9
11
10
9
14
10
9
7
3
2
0
3
6
11
11
7
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Thurso East Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Thurso East provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thurso East can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thurso East 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 East) 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 East 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 East, 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 and Kirkwall, 52 km (32 miles) away.

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