Thurso East Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.61° N 3.50° W

Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 15 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thurso East sea temperature is
13.6° C
0.2° 

Thurso East surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Thurso East surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 11s period, W swell with 771 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period with N swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thurso East this week:

The surf forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Thurso East in the next 16 days are 1.8m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 4AM (Mon 17th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 7s
Best Surf 4PM (Wed 19th Aug)5ft (1.6m) 11s
Most Powerful 7AM (Wed 19th Aug)6ft (1.8m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here, looking at the charts for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the next week or so is looking pretty grim. There’s a big stretch of poor conditions with onshore wind messing things up at Thurso East. We’re talking about a real dry spell from Saturday the 15th all the way through to the middle of the following week. Don’t bother paddling out unless you’re after a fight with the wind and lumpy water. The swell energy is weak to moderate at best, with combined readings hanging around the 130 to 244 mark, but it’s all pretty chopped up.

Monday morning the 17th, you might see a tiny chance with a clean window, but the wave is tiny at 2 ft from the North, period a short 7 seconds. It’s just not worth getting wet for.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Wednesday afternoon the 19th. We get a bit of a turnaround – a solid 5 ft swell from the West with an 11-second period, and the wind switches to a light cross-offshore breeze from the East. That's the kind of combo that could clean things up and offer some proper shape. The combined energy is a healthy 593, so there’s some push behind it. It’s still a little questionable on the morning side, but that afternoon session could be worth a look.

But the true stand-out, the one you really want to circle on the calendar, is Tuesday the 25th. Tuesday morning, it’s glassy with a 5 ft West swell, a solid 11-second period, and nearly 0 wind from the ENE. The combined wave energy is pumping at 666 – that’s proper juice. Tuesday afternoon only gets better: 6 ft, a 12-second period, 760 combined energy, and a light cross-off breeze. This is the pick of the entire 16-day window. The swell direction from the West is nicely aligned with the optimum for Thurso East, which is from the NNW. It’s a point break, so a long-period groundswell like that will wrap in nicely without closing out like a beachie might.

Keep in mind, the water temp anomaly is unremarkable, so the water is about what you’d expect for this time of year at Thurso. Also, this is an expert-level wave that can get crowded sometimes, so be prepared for company if the forecast holds.

After that, we see a drop-off again into the end of the month with the wind coming back onshore and the swell jumping up to huge sizes – 10 ft on the 28th, but with 35 km/h cross-onshore winds it’ll be a washing machine. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than anything for a paddle.

So, there’s a long wait, but keep your eyes on the 19th afternoon, and absolutely be ready for Tuesday the 25th. That’s the one that could be special.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sat morning, calm by Sun night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Mon night, light winds from the NW by Wed morning).

Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
W
6
1.7
W
6
1.5
W
8
1.2
WNW
8
0.9
WNW
7
0.6
WNW
7
0.6
N
7
0.5
W
9
0.5
N
7
0.4
N
7
1.1
W
6
1.5
W
10
1.8
W
11
1.6
W
11
1.3
W
11
1.2
W
11
0.9
W
10
1
NNW
7
1
N
7
0.8
N
8
0.8
N
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
91
221
309
187
91
40
39
41
27
16
80
477
757
588
372
317
158
111
92
80
76
Wind (km/h)
30
W
30
W
20
W
20
WNW
20
NW
5
WNW
10
ESE
25
ESE
25
SE
15
WSW
25
WSW
20
SW
15
WSW
10
E
10
NE
25
NNE
25
NNE
20
N
25
N
25
NNW
15
NW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
off
cross-off
off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
High Tide
11:18AM4.92m
11:19PM5.28m
11:55AM4.77m
11:57PM5.10m
12:32PM4.57m
00:36AM4.83m
1:10PM4.35m
1:17AM4.51m
1:52PM4.13m
2:06AM4.17m
2:44PM3.95m
3:10AM3.88m
3:54PM3.84m
Low Tide
4:58AM0.82m
5:07PM1.40m
5:37AM0.98m
5:45PM1.53m
6:16AM1.25m
6:23PM1.74m
6:55AM1.57m
7:03PM1.99m
7:36AM1.93m
7:49PM2.25m
8:23AM2.27m
8:51PM2.49m
9:29AM2.54m
10:25PM2.60m
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cloud
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light rain
part cloud
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part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
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<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:33
5:35
5:37
5:39
5:41
5:43
5:46
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:01
8:59
8:57
8:53
8:51
8:49
8:45
 mm
4
1
2
1
1
Temp °C
15
14
13
14
13
12
14
13
14
16
15
13
15
15
13
13
13
12
12
11
11
Feels °C
10
8
9
10
9
11
11
9
12
12
10
10
12
12
11
8
7
7
6
6
6
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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