Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a grim stretch for Thurso East. We’re looking at a solid run of poor surf conditions that really doesn’t let up. The first proper chance to even think about paddling out doesn’t show up until Monday the 17th of August, and even then, it’s hardly a celebration.

The whole pattern is dominated by onshore and cross-onshore winds, mostly from the west and northwest, which is just going to mash up any potential. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The only faint glimmer I can see in this whole outlook is on Monday afternoon, the 17th of August. We’ve got a little 2ft swell coming from the north, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind finally swings around to an offshore from the ESE, blowing at 16 mph, and the report says it’s clean. The combined energy is still weak at 103 (moderate wave energy). It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. Don’t get your hopes up.

Then on Tuesday the 18th of August, the afternoon picks up a bit more size. We’re looking at a 5ft swell from the west with a much longer period of 11 seconds. That’s a groundswell, and that combined energy jumps right up to 480 (moderate wave energy), which is the most interesting number we’ve got. The wind is a clean cross-off from the ENE at 16 mph. The caveat is that a long-period west swell at a north-facing point like Thurso East can be a bit tricky, but if there’s a window in the whole 16 days, this is it. It’s still only a marginal call, though.

After that, it’s back to the usual story. Thursday the 20th of August sees a bump in size to 6ft from the NNW, but with a short 7-second period and a fresh 19 mph onshore wind, it’s going to be a messy, blown-out mess. That’s expert-only territory, and not the fun kind. The rest of the week is a washout, with onshore winds and poor conditions.

There’s a long gap of nothing until the 25th of August, where we get a 4ft west swell with a 10-second period, but again, it’s buried under a fresh 22 mph onshore wind. Not worth a second look.

Honestly, mate, if you’re looking for a standout, the Tuesday the 18th of August afternoon is as close as we get. The rest of the time, the wind is just relentless. For most of this run, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the strong onshore winds and lumpy conditions.

Rusty.

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