Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, talking in feet and all that. Let’s break down the next 16 days for Thurso East.

First up, the good news: when that classic NNW groundswell lines up with a light offshore wind, this place can be magic. The water’s sitting at about 56°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so don’t expect any surprises on the temperature front.

The best bet, and the only real standout in the whole window, is Tuesday the 28th of July. We’ve got a solid 4ft swell rolling in from the NNW, with a nice long 9-second period, giving it some real push. The combined energy is a solid moderate (450) – that’s plenty of grunt. The morning session is where it’s at: light rain and a 12 mph SE wind blowing straight offshore. That’s going to keep the faces clean and lined up. The afternoon stays clean too, with a light 9 mph SSW cross-off breeze. This is a classic Thurso East day – expert-level, exposed, and absolutely worth the paddle. Just be aware, crowds can pop up here sometimes, so get out early.

Now, the rest of the run is a bit of a grind, I won’t lie. Wednesday the 29th sees a bump in size to 8ft from the west, but the wind swings nasty. A fresh 22 mph SW cross-shore will chop it right up. That’s more of a kite session than a surf session. Thursday and Friday drop off fast, with weak, short-period windswell and onshore winds – forget it.

The first week of August is pretty grim. Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd have some waist-high plus swell, but the wind is all over the place, mostly cross-onshore, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. The energy is there (over 300 on Saturday), but the quality is missing.

We get a tiny glimmer of hope on Monday the 3rd of August. The swell is small, only 3ft from the NW, but it’s clean. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the ENE. It’s surfable, but very ordinary – a small wave for a longboard.

After that, it’s a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions right through the second week. A few days of clean offshore winds pop up around the 8th and 9th of August, but the swell is tiny and the period is short. By the 9th, the wind is blowing a strong 25 mph offshore, which will make it nearly impossible to paddle into those weak 3ft waves. The energy is low, under 100.

The second week is a write-off. There’s nothing to get excited about. The swells are small, the periods are short, and the wind is either onshore or too strong. It’s a long, quiet period for the North Coast.

So, to sum it up: your window is Tuesday the 28th. That’s the one. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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