Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but things are about to kick off proper. The first real opportunity to get wet is on Wednesday the 2nd of September, and it’s a ripper for the experienced crew out here.

Thurso East is the only game in town, and for a few hours it’s going to be world-class. Wednesday afternoon, that’s the standout. You’re looking at a solid 8ft of groundswell rolling in from the NNW, and it’s got some serious grunt with a combined energy reading of 1368 and a period of 11 seconds. That’s proper power. The wind is going light and cross-off from the east, which is going to leave the faces as clean as a whistle. This is expert territory, though, with that size and a long-period groundswell – it’ll be connecting perfectly on that point, but you need to know what you’re doing. The water is currently sitting at 57°F, which is about average for this time of year, no real surprise there.

Thursday, forget it. Strong winds from the west are going to ruin the 4ft to 4ft windswell, leaving it lumpy and choppy. Not worth paddling out.

Now, Friday the 4th of September morning has potential, but it’s a tricky one. We’ve got a bigger 8ft NNW groundswell with a very long 12-second period, and the combined energy is huge at 1799. The wind is cross-off from the SSW, which is excellent for shape. The catch? That period is so long it might just be a bit too straight for the point, and the forecast has it down as marginal due to tide. It’s certainly one to watch for experts only if the tide co-operates, but don’t be surprised if it’s a bit fat. The afternoon is a write-off: 12ft and a near-gale from the west. That’s blown out and dangerous.

The weekend is a complete mess. Saturday and Sunday are a write-off with onshore winds and appalling conditions. That 10ft to 3ft swell is all wind-chopped junk.

We then hit a flat spell for a few days. Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th are a no-go. The swell drops right off, and when it bumps back up on the 8th, it’s with a 34 mph onshore gale and 12ft of onshore slop. Don’t even think about it.

The following week is grim. There’s a tiny window on Friday the 11th of September morning with offshore winds from the SSE, but the swell is a pathetic 3ft – it’s surfable but absolutely ordinary. The combined energy is only 60, which tells you there’s nothing behind it.

For the second week, things look pretty bleak. There are a couple of days in the middle of the week, around the 15th and 16th of September, where the swell tries to build back to 6ft from the WNW with a decent 11-second period. But the wind is messy, either cross-off or cross-onshore, and the conditions are rated as marginal at best. It’s a wait-and-see situation, but nothing to get excited about compared to that Wednesday afternoon we had.

So, to wrap it up: the one and only call is Wednesday the 2nd of September afternoon at Thurso East. It’s your best chance, and it’s a beauty.

Rusty.

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