Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, WNW swell with 2,039 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period with W 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 9s period. 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 10AM. 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 5s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks at Thurso Reef.
Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a rough start. The ocean is pumping a lot of energy, but the wind is just not playing ball for the first few days. That big WNW swell that’s moving in for the weekend is going to be messy, with cross-shore winds and a lot of chop. The water temp is sitting at 55°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The real window of opportunity, and the standout of the whole forecast, is Monday afternoon the 27th into Tuesday the 28th. Monday afternoon you’ve got a 5 ft swell from the west with a 10-second period, and the wind drops right off to a light breeze, going cross-offshore. It’s going to be clean and the wave energy is moderate (627). Tuesday morning keeps that offshore flow from the SSW, with a similar 5 ft west swell. The energy drops a bit (392), but the wind is right offshore, so the faces will be smooth. Tuesday afternoon is even better with a light SW offshore and 5 ft of swell. That’s your pick of the fortnight – clean, manageable, and a real chance to get some good ones.
After that, the swell takes a dive. From Wednesday the 29th onward, the size drops below 3 ft, and the energy fades into the low double and single digits. The wind tries to help a bit now and then, but the surf just isn’t there. There’s a gap of poor, small surf that stretches right through until the end of the first week of August. By the 5th of August, you see a little blip of 5 ft from the NW, but it’s short period and the wind is messy, so it’s not a goer.
The long-range stuff, from the 5th of August onward, looks like a ghost town. Tiny waves, onshore wind, and nothing to get excited about. It’s one of those forecast runs where you’ve got to be patient. The best advice is to pencil in Monday afternoon the 27th and Tuesday the 28th as your best shots. It’s a short window, but it’s the only one that’s firing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Mainly strong winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sun morning, light winds from the SW by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 9 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 259 | 408 | 763 | 1032 | 1055 | 1051 | 2039 | 1563 | 1306 | 598 | 795 | 562 | 284 | 377 | 422 | 343 | 408 | 225 | 143 | 173 | 189 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 4:54PM3.95m | 5:13AM3.94m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:35AM2.28m | 11:12PM2.51m | 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 | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 4:43 | — | — | 4:45 | — | — | 4:47 | — | — | 4:48 | — | — | 4:50 | — | — | 4:52 | — | — | 4:56 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:54 | — | — | 9:53 | — | — | 9:52 | — | — | 9:49 | — | — | 9:46 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:43 |
mm | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 6 | — | N 6 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 |
| kJ | 14 | 7 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 598 | 795 | 562 | 282 | 377 | 422 | 343 | 408 | 225 | 143 | 173 | 189 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | N 9 | N 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 394 | 284 | 284 | 203 | 96 | 49 | 33 | 20 | 11 | 14 | 41 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 9 | — | — | NNW 8 | N 8 | SE 5 | NNW 7 | ESE 5 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 47 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 9 | — | — | W 4 | S 2 | SSE 4 | S 3 | — | — | SSE 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 259 | 408 | 763 | 1032 | 1055 | 1051 | 2039 | 1563 | 1306 | 522 | — | — | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 473 | 1308 | 413 | 845 | 755 | 674 | 617 | 815 | 290 | 71 | 785 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Thurso Reef surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest