Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Thurso East.

The next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag, with a long quiet spell bookended by a few moments of real potential. The main event, the one to get keen about, is that pulse of groundswell arriving on Wednesday.

Actually, the first few days are a write-off. The surf is flat and onshore from Monday (31st August) right through to Tuesday. There’s nothing to get excited about until mid-week.

The real standout window opens up on Wednesday, 2nd September. That morning kicks off with a building 6ft groundswell from the NNW, with a solid 9-second period. The combined energy is already moderate at 679, but it’s the afternoon that’s the pick. The wind swings offshore from the ESE at 12 mph, cleaning up that 6ft, 10-second NNW swell. The energy jumps to 688 (moderate), and the forecast is for very good surf. This is a classic Thurso East setup – a proper point break, so that longer period (10 seconds) will be grooming out some nice, lined-up waves. It’s an expert-level break, and with the offshore breeze, it’ll be clean. Keep in mind it’s fairly consistent here, but it can get crowded, so expect some company.

Thursday morning (3rd) drops off a bit with a 4ft, 9-second N swell and cross-shore wind, so that window is short-lived.

Friday morning (4th September) brings a bigger 7ft swell from the west at 12 seconds, which is a very long period. The energy is strong at 1075. The wind is cross-off from the SSE at 19 mph, so it’s clean. However, this is a big, powerful groundswell. At 7ft, it’s getting into the territory for experts only. The long period at a point like Thurso East should be excellent, but it will be a heavy, powerful wave.

After that, the wind turns onshore and the swell gets messy for the rest of the first week. We get a brief window on Sunday morning (6th) with a small 4ft, 8-second WNW swell and offshore wind, but the energy is low (197) and the wave state is described as "poor surf conditions."

The second week is generally quiet. There’s a small pulse of energy on Wednesday, 9th September, with a 8ft, 10-second WNW swell, but the wind is onshore, making it lumpy. The energy is strong at 1140, but the conditions are marginal.

The outlook dries up completely after that. There’s a long gap of poor, onshore conditions from the 10th right through to the 14th.

The only other bright spot is far out on Tuesday, 15th September. A 3ft, 12-second groundswell from the west, with glassy conditions and a light SW air. The energy is 299 (low-moderate), but for a point break, that long period with glassy water is a very promising sign. It’s a long way off, so treat it as a promising rumour, not a guarantee.

For the best surf, you’re looking at Wednesday afternoon (2nd September) for the cleanest conditions on that building NW groundswell, or Friday morning (4th) for the biggest, most powerful swell. The glassy conditions on the 15th are a tempting long-range target.

Rusty

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