Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a pretty mixed bag on the cards for the next couple of weeks, but the first few days are going to be a right struggle. The standout window is definitely later on, so don’t write the whole period off just yet.

The Overall Pattern

We’re starting off with a real slow period. The first week is mostly dominated by small, weak swells and messy wind. The real action, and the only time I’d get properly excited, is looking like the second week. There’s a pulse of proper groundswell building around the 18th and 19th, but it’s going to be a battle with the wind. The very end of the forecast, around the 25th, is where things finally clean up nicely.

The Run Down

So, for the first few days, it’s a bit of a write-off for anything decent. Tuesday the 11th is surfable but ordinary, with a tiny 2ft N swell and a stiff 16 mph SE wind making things messy. The wave energy is weak at just 77. Wednesday the 12th is a bit of a tease – the swell drops to 1.0ft from the W, but the wind goes glassy in the afternoon. It’s clean, but there’s just no power. Thursday the 13th is much the same; glassy morning but with a tiny 1ft WSW swell. You’d be better off with a longboard and a lot of patience.

From Friday the 14th right through to Sunday the 17th, it’s proper grim. The wind swings onshore or cross-onshore, and the waves are junk. The swell is a bit bigger, but it’s all short-period windswell. The water temp is about 56°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Now, things start to get interesting around Monday the 18th. There’s a solid 7ft W swell filling in, with moderate wave energy (639). The wind is cross-offshore in the morning, which is a good sign. This is a promising little window, but the swell is pushing into the 7ft mark, so it’s getting a bit too much for beginners. The real big stuff hits on Wednesday the 19th. We’re looking at a 10ft WNW swell with a long 11-second period. The combined energy is massive (2476). This is a beast of a groundswell, but the wind is a problem – it’s cross-onshore in the morning and onshore in the afternoon. For a point break like Thurso East, a long-period swell from the NNW (which is the optimum direction) is what you want. The setup is right, but the wind is going to make it chunky and challenging. This is expert territory only; the size and power will be too much for anyone else. The period over 11 seconds means the waves will have real energy, but the onshore wind at the peak of the swell will likely ruin the surface. It’s a shame, because the potential is there.

The rest of that week stays big and messy, with the wind continuing to be a problem. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore for most of it, and the waves are lumpy.

The Standout

The real winner, and the one I’d be circling on the calendar, is Tuesday the 25th. The swell has dropped back to a much more manageable 4ft from the W, with an 8-second period. The combined energy is a healthy 228 to 334. But the main event is the wind. We’ve got an offshore ESE wind, light to gentle, which means clean, peeling faces. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions,” and I’d agree. This is the best call on offer. The size is perfect for a wide range of surfers, and the conditions will be clean. Because it’s at Thurso East, which is a point break, the long-period groundswell from the W will wrap in nicely, giving you some proper lines. Keep in mind, crowds are possible at this spot, so get out there early.

After that, the 26th looks like it’s going to get a bit messy again with a cross-onshore wind, so the 25th is your golden window.

Alright, that’s the long and short of it. Keep your eyes on that Tuesday the 25th, and if you’re a big-wave nut, you might get a piece of the 19th, but it’ll be a battle.

Rusty.

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