Thurso East Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on offer for Thurso East over the next couple of weeks. There’s a bit of a slow start, and some proper wild conditions later on, so we need to pick our windows carefully.

The big story is a solid pulse of groundswell, but it comes wrapped in some raw, windy weather. We’re looking at a serious lull from the start, then a massive spike that’s mostly blown out, before the magic window appears. The best session by a mile is Wednesday the 9th.

First up, Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd are a write-off for quality. On Tuesday, it’s messy, with a weak 2 ft cross-off swell (combined energy of only 70) and onshore junk later. Wednesday morning is chaotic with a strong 7 ft onshore blast, but come Wednesday afternoon, things flip on a dime. That session shows a clean 7 ft swell out of the NNW (combined energy of 923) with a 10-second period and a light easterly cross-off breeze. That’s a solid, surfable window, but we’re not at the peak yet.

The end of the week into the weekend is a write-off thanks to a serious blow. Thursday the 3rd is blown out with onshore winds, and Friday the 4th brings a big but messy 8 ft to 13 ft swell out of the west. The combined energy jumps to 1815 and even 3341, but with a fresh cross-onshore gale, it’s just a washing machine. Saturday the 5th is even worse with a 10 ft swell and a strong breeze. This is kite-surfing territory, not for paddling.

A little respite on Sunday the 6th: a cleaner 3 ft swell out of the WNW with a moderate offshore breeze (combined energy of 172). It’s tiny but rideable. Monday the 7th looks like another messy, powerful day.

The standout is Wednesday, September 9th. Head to Thurso East. The morning session is pure glass. We’ve got a 10 ft swell out of the NNW, with a period of 9 seconds and a combined energy of 1619. The wind is completely glassy – hardly a breath from the northwest. That’s a proper expert wave, thick and bowling, with no chop. It’s big – over 8 ft – so save this for the crew with some experience. The afternoon holds a similar-sized 10 ft swell, but a light cross-on breeze will ruffle it slightly, so the morning is the real winner.

After that, we drop right back into a long, quiet spell. From Thursday the 10th all the way through to Saturday the 13th, we’re looking at tiny, weak swells (1 ft to 3 ft) with combined energy below 200. The 13th offers a glassy 1 ft, but it’s just not worth paddling out.

Conditions finally improve again on Monday, September 14th. A clean 4 ft groundswell out of the west (combined energy of 303) with a period of 11 seconds and a light cross-off breeze. This is a much more manageable, clean option for a longboard or a fish. Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th look small and marginal again, fading off to tiny 2 ft with clean winds but barely any push.

So to sum it up: don’t bother with the first few days or the huge blown-out weekend. The real deal is the glassy 10 ft walls on Wednesday the 9th, and a tidy clean-up session on the Monday the 14th. Stay patient, lads.

Rusty.

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