
Surf Forecasts:
Thurso East surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, NW swell with 613 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thurso East this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso East in the next 16 days are 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.
Well, I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough one. The whole 16-day window looks pretty grim for a proper surf. There’s surf on offer, but the conditions are just not playing ball. We’ve got a long stretch of onshore and cross-onshore winds that are going to chop things up, so don’t get your hopes up for anything clean.
The action, if you can call it that, is all at Thurso East, a heavy expert point break that needs a solid NW to NNW groundswell to light up. Right now, the water’s sitting at about 55°F, which is bang on average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
We start off Wednesday morning, 15th July, with a tiny 2ft swell from the west, but the wind is actually offshore from the SE. It’s weak though – combined energy is only 71 – so it’s surfable but very ordinary. The afternoon drops off to 2ft and the magic is gone.
Then we hit a real dry spell. From Thursday the 16th right through to Tuesday the 21st, it’s a mess. Onshore winds from the NW and WNW just hammer the place. Swell heights bounce between 1ft and 4ft, but the wind state is either “unknown” or cross-onshore and choppy. It’s a write-off for a point break like Thurso East. The combined energy does climb to 201 on Monday the 20th, but with onshore winds, it’s just not worth paddling out.
Wednesday the 22nd sees the swell jump up to 7ft from the WNW, with a combined energy of 384 – that’s a solid push. But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 22 mph, making it lumpy. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a battle. The next day, Thursday the 23rd, the wind howls at 25 mph and the swell drops back. That’s kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing.
Friday the 24th through to Sunday the 27th is the biggest pulse of the period. Friday morning has 8ft of WNW swell and a combined energy of 549 – that’s proper power. But the wind is onshore from the NW at 19 mph. Saturday the 25th is still big at 6ft but cross-onshore. These are expert-only, heavy, and messy conditions. The swell direction is WNW, which is off the optimum for Thurso East (NNW), so the waves won’t be peeling as well as they could.
The last few days, from Monday the 28th to Thursday the 30th, it all fades back to tiny, weak surf with 1ft to 2ft and combined energy as low as 12. The wind finally goes light and clean on the 30th, but there’s no swell to ride.
Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The best on offer is probably the early morning of Wednesday 15th July for the clean offshore wind, but the swell is tiny. If you’re an expert and you’re desperate, the big, messy swells on the 22nd and 24th might give you a few heavy, bumpy drops, but don’t expect any quality. For the rest of us, it’s a long wait.
Keep your eyes on the forecasts; things can change. But right now, it’s a lean run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the NW by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 13 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 11 | W 11 | WNW 7 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 8 | WNW 5 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
64 | 40 | 25 | 27 | 32 | 275 | 125 | 108 | 79 | 133 | 84 | 53 | 54 | 62 | 61 | 83 | 90 | 71 | 52 | 146 | 83 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:07AM4.91m | 10:14PM5.21m | 10:57AM4.92m | 10:59PM5.25m | 11:45AM4.85m | 11:44PM5.19m | 12:31PM4.70m | 00:29AM5.05m | 1:16PM4.50m | 1:14AM4.84m | 2:04PM4.29m | 2:03AM4.58m | 2:54PM4.11m | 2:57AM4.31m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:03PM1.40m | 4:34AM0.87m | 4:47PM1.44m | 5:20AM0.88m | 5:31PM1.54m | 6:05AM1.00m | 6:14PM1.70m | 6:51AM1.22m | 6:58PM1.91m | 7:38AM1.51m | 7:46PM2.13m | 8:29AM1.81m | 8:40PM2.34m | ||||||||
4:28 | — | — | 4:30 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — | 4:35 | — | — | 4:37 | — | — | 4:39 | — | — | |
— | — | 10:08 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 | — | — | 10:02 | — | — | 10:00 | — | — | 9:59 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | ENE 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | N 6 | WNW 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | WNW 6 | W 10 | N 8 | N 8 |
64 | 40 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 275 | 125 | 108 | 79 | 8 | 84 | 53 | 6 | 47 | 59 | 83 | 80 | 36 | 46 | 21 | 18 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | W 12 | WNW 13 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | ENE 9 | N 5 | WNW 13 | W 9 | W 8 | N 8 | N 10 | W 10 | N 8 | — | — |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 32 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 31 | 71 | 33 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 18 | — | — | E 5 | — | — | — | — | N 9 | — | N 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | N 6 | NE 8 | NE 6 | E 6 | N 9 | N 7 | N 6 | — |
6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 1 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 2 | SE 3 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NW 4 | NW 5 | WNW 8 | N 4 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | WNW 7 | — | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 5 |
1 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 9 | 17 | 23 | 133 | 4 | — | 54 | 62 | 61 | 78 | 90 | — | 52 | 146 | 83 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 29 | 25 | 192 | 30 | 95 | 95 | 754 | 72 | 72 | 95 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 170 | 72 | 72 | 2 | 72 | 542 | 72 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










