Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, W swell with 260 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thurso Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Reef in the next 16 days are 1.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Thurso Reef over the next couple of weeks.
First off, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, quiet run with barely a whisper of surf. The water temp is sitting around 55°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.
The next few days, from Sunday the 12th right through to the end of the week, are a write-off. Tiny, weak swell with hardly any energy (combined energy is down around 70 or less most of the time), and the wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but it’s just not enough to do anything with. You’d be wasting your time.
We do get a little flicker of hope on Monday the 21st. Tuesday morning, the wind finally swings offshore from the south, and we’ve got a clean 2 ft wave. It’s small, and the energy is still low (64), but it’s surfable – just barely. If you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your window. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but it’s clean.
After that, it gets interesting but not good. By Wednesday the 22nd, the swell jumps up to 6 ft from the WNW with a period of 11 seconds, and the energy is strong (889). That’s proper groundswell, but the wind is howling from the NW at 16 mph, making it a lumpy, messy cross-shore mess. That’s a pass for me. And by Thursday the 23rd, it’s still big but the wind is just as bad, so it’s not worth it.
The only other date that might make you look twice is Saturday the 25th. The swell is 4 ft from the WNW, and the wind is cross-off from the SW, giving clean conditions. But the period is short (8 seconds), and the energy is moderate (261). It’s a marginal call, and the comments say it’s questionable with tide. Not a standout.
Honestly, if you’re looking for one true standout, there isn’t one. The best bet is the tiny, clean window on Tuesday the 21st morning, but it’s for the patient and the hopeful. Everything else is blown out, inconsistent, or just plain flat. The long gaps between any real action are painful – days with nothing at all.
If you’re a kiter, the larger swells with strong cross-winds later in the window might be more your thing than a paddle surfer’s.
Keep an eye on it, but don’t hold your breath.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 70 | 43 | 31 | 51 | 47 | 62 | 123 | 242 | 127 | 64 | 40 | 25 | 24 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 41 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:42PM4.70m | 8:15AM4.66m | 8:36PM4.92m | 9:14AM4.82m | 9:27PM5.10m | 10:07AM4.91m | 10:14PM5.21m | 10:57AM4.92m | 10:59PM5.25m | 11:45AM4.85m | 11:44PM5.19m | 12:31PM4.70m | 00:29AM5.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:33PM1.67m | 2:06AM1.53m | 2:27PM1.53m | 2:58AM1.22m | 3:16PM1.44m | 3:47AM0.99m | 4:03PM1.40m | 4:34AM0.87m | 4:47PM1.44m | 5:20AM0.88m | 5:31PM1.54m | 6:05AM1.00m | 6:14PM1.70m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 4:24 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:26 | — | — | 4:28 | — | — | 4:30 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:14 | — | — | 10:12 | — | — | 10:10 | — | — | 10:08 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
Feels °C | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 70 | 43 | 31 | 51 | 47 | 62 | 123 | 242 | 127 | 64 | 40 | 25 | 24 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | NNW 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | W 14 | W 12 | — | NE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | — | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | WNW 14 |
| kJ | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 106 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 41 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 21 | — | E 6 | W 19 | — | W 18 | W 18 | — | — | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | W 9 | W 8 | N 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 9 | — | 3 | 7 | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 7 | — | — | — | E 6 | ESE 2 | SE 2 | SE 2 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 2 | SE 3 | ESE 2 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 51 | 170 | 0 | 177 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 71 | 375 | 375 | 655 | 656 | 947 | 839 | 866 | 375 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Thurso Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Thurso Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thurso Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thurso Reef 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 Reef) 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 Reef 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 Reef, 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, Kirkwall and Lossiemouth.
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