Surf Forecasts:
Thurso East surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 27 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 10s period, WNW swell with 4,776 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 27 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with W 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 (Jul 27) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso East in the next 16 days are 5.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 16ft (5.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, grab a seat and let’s have a proper look at Thurso East. This is a world-class point break, proper expert territory, and it’s going to be a tale of two weeks. The first few days are a write-off, but we’ve got a moment next week that’s worth waiting for.
The water here is sitting at 55°, which is pretty much bang on average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there.
We start off with a rough patch. Friday the 24th through Sunday the 27th are a complete mess. The swell is there—big, heavy stuff Saturday morning hits 16ft from the WNW with a massive combined energy of 4776, but it’s got near gale-force onshore winds. That’s not surfable, that’s survival. Monday morning is still cross-on and choppy with 5ft. It’s not until Monday afternoon on the 27th that we get a real shift. The wind swings to a light offshore from the SSE, the swell holds at 5ft from the west with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is 716. That’s clean, that’s lined up, and that’s the standout of the whole forecast. The waves will have shape and power, and with the wind light offshore, it’ll be glassy. This is the one to circle.
Tuesday the 28th is a step down. The swell drops to 5ft but the period shortens to 9 seconds, and the wind is cross-off or cross-shore. The energy is moderate at 457. It’s surfable but nothing special. Wednesday and Thursday see the swell fade further, with Thursday morning offering a tiny 3ft from the west with a short 8-second period. The wind is light offshore, so it’ll be clean, but it’s very small.
Then we hit a real quiet spell. From Friday the 31st all the way through to Tuesday the 5th of August, the swell stays small—mostly under 3ft—and the energy is weak, often dropping below 100. The wind is offshore a lot of the time, which is clean, but there’s just no wave to work with. That’s a solid six to seven days of flatness.
Things try to pick up again on Wednesday the 5th of August, with 4ft from the north and a 9-second period, but the wind is onshore and strong, so it’s messy. The rest of the week into the 8th stays small and onshore, nothing worth getting excited about.
So, the call is simple: Monday afternoon the 27th of July is your window. Clean, 5ft west swell, light offshore wind. That’s the best on offer. Everything else is either blown out or flat.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the NW on Sat morning, light winds from the W by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | N 9 | W 8 | N 8 | N 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1032 | 1256 | 1320 | 4776 | 2962 | 1210 | 610 | 394 | 540 | 399 | 440 | 319 | 367 | 351 | 306 | 247 | 196 | 105 | 80 | 68 | 61 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:01PM4.00m | 6:29AM3.92m | 7:01PM4.14m | 7:34AM4.01m | 7:51PM4.32m | 8:24AM4.15m | 8:32PM4.50m | 9:05AM4.29m | 9:09PM4.66m | 9:40AM4.43m | 9:42PM4.80m | 10:12AM4.53m | 10:14PM4.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:45AM2.35m | 00:26AM2.39m | 12:46PM2.31m | 1:24AM2.19m | 1:36PM2.21m | 2:10AM1.96m | 2:18PM2.06m | 2:49AM1.76m | 2:55PM1.92m | 3:24AM1.58m | 3:30PM1.78m | 3:58AM1.44m | 4:04PM1.69m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 4:45 | — | — | 4:47 | — | — | 4:48 | — | — | 4:50 | — | — | 4:52 | — | — | 4:54 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:53 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:49 | — | — | 9:46 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:43 | — | — | 9:40 |
mm | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | N 8 | N 8 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1210 | 610 | 394 | 540 | 399 | 440 | 319 | 367 | 90 | 48 | 247 | 196 | 105 | 80 | 68 | 61 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | NNW 10 | N 9 | N 8 | SSE 5 | SE 6 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | W 8 | W 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 186 | 238 | 329 | 400 | 346 | 276 | 162 | 90 | 2 | 2 | 29 | 87 | 102 | 73 | 57 | 17 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 10 | N 7 | NW 10 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 128 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | S 2 | SSW 3 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1032 | 1256 | 1320 | 4776 | 2962 | — | — | — | — | 80 | — | 1 | 3 | 351 | 306 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 846 | 1114 | 423 | 673 | 695 | 54 | 26 | 26 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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