Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's break down what Thurso East has in store. It's a world-class expert point break, pretty consistent, and wide open to a north-northwest swell, but the wind is going to be a proper headache for most of this outlook. Water temp is about 55°F, which is spot on for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

We start on Saturday, July 18th, and it's not looking good. We got a 4ft NW swell with a short 8-second period, and a moderate north-northwest breeze blowing right onshore. The combined energy is weak at 143. It's a complete no-go. Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th are the same story – small, short-period waves with onshore winds and poor surf. Tuesday the 21st sees the swell pick up to about 5ft, but a fresh cross-onshore wind from the west-northwest at 22 mph makes it lumpy and messy. The combined energy is moderate at 299. Still not what we're after.

Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd are more of the same – onshore and cross-onshore winds, lumpy conditions, and no quality. Come Friday the 24th, the swell builds to 8ft from the WNW with a 9-second period, but a strong cross-onshore breeze kicks up. The combined energy jumps to 820, so there's plenty of power, but it's going to be messy. Saturday the 25th sees waves hitting 8ft from the NW, with energy at 989 – it's getting big and powerful, but those cross-onshore winds are still wrecking the shape. At this size, it's strictly for experts, and honestly, with that wind, it's looking more like a kiteboarding session than a surf.

Finally, we get a bit of a break. Sunday the 26th of July has lighter onshore winds from the NW at 9 mph, with a 5ft W swell at 9 seconds and moderate energy at 562. Not perfect, but better. Then Monday the 27th is where it gets interesting. The morning shows a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at just 6 mph, with a 6ft WNW swell – moderate energy at 461 – and the conditions are forecast to be clean. That's the first real standout of the outlook. The size is decent, the wind is good, and this point loves that WNW swell. This is your best bet in the first half.

Tuesday the 28th is also looking good. The morning is glassy – no wind, dead calm – with a 4ft WNW swell and a 9-second period. Clean and smooth, perfect for this break. The afternoon sees a light cross-offshore from the east at 9 mph, keeping it tidy. The combined energy is only around 260, so not a ton of push, but the quality will be high. This is the other real standout: glassy conditions on a classic point don't come around often.

The rest of the week fades. Wednesday the 29th has a 6ft NW swell, but the wind turns cross-shore and choppy. Thursday the 30th drops right off to 2ft, and Friday the 31st bumps back up to 7ft WNW but with poor conditions. Then we roll into August. Saturday the 1st is windy and messy again with a 7ft NW groundswell at a long 10-second period, but cross-onshore winds at 12 mph will make it choppy. The real gem is Sunday the 2nd of August. The morning is glassy again – dead calm – with a nice 5ft WNW swell at 9 seconds, giving moderate energy of 352. The afternoon is even better, with a light easterly offshore breeze at 9 mph. That's a long-range standout, and while there's some uncertainty that far out, the setup looks prime. Clean, offshore wind on a point break with solid groundswell – that's the one to wait for.

So, the first week is rough, but the end of July and the beginning of August have some real quality on the way. Keep an eye on Monday the 27th and Sunday the 2nd for the best chances.

Rusty

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