Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, W swell with 424 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Tuesday (Jul 07) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Reef in the next 16 days are 1.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Tue 7th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Tue 7th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Right, grab a coffee, let's have a look at what's coming our way here. For Thurso Reef, it's a fairly bleak start to the outlook, I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There's a real lack of any decent surf for the first few days, with a lot of onshore or cross-shore wind messing things up and some small, weak swell that just doesn't have any push. The water temp is sitting at about 54°, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday the 7th. The morning is looking like the pick of the whole run, with a glassy, clean surface. The swell is a small 3ft from the west with a period of 9 seconds, so there’s a little bit of energy there (combined energy of 232). It's not big, but with absolutely no wind, it’s going to be as clean as a whistle. By the afternoon the wind swings to the ESE but stays glassy, keeping it clean with 3ft of west swell. This is the standout for the whole 16-day window, it’s the only time you’ll see conditions this perfect for the size.
After that little window, it gets messy again. Wednesday the 8th is a write-off with cross-shore wind. Thursday the 9th morning shows some potential with clean conditions and 4ft west swell, but the afternoon turns into a bit of a gamble.
We then have a long, long stretch of poor to marginal conditions. From Friday the 10th right through to Monday the 20th, it’s a constant battle with onshore and cross-shore winds, making things choppy and sloppy. There's a couple of days with slightly bigger swell – Friday the 10th afternoon has 4ft at 11 seconds (combined energy of 397) and Tuesday the 14th has a 3ft, 12-second groundswell (combined energy of 322), but the wind is terrible for a reef setup like this, so it’ll be a battle. Honestly, those bigger days are more interesting for the kite crew than a paddle surfer.
The very end of the run, on Tuesday the 21st, shows a pulse of north swell of 3ft with a 10-second period, and it's clean with a cross-off wind. But it's a long way off, and with the poor run we've had, you’d need to keep a very close eye on it. For now, the only real plan is that Tuesday morning glass-off.
Stay safe, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Mon afternoon, calm by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mon 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 171 | 195 | 152 | 129 | 205 | 83 | 109 | 179 | 192 | 313 | 184 | 125 | 396 | 332 | 319 | 221 | 129 | 87 | 62 | 85 | 67 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross-off | on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 1:39AM4.51m | 2:30PM4.17m | 2:32AM4.42m | 3:28PM4.15m | 3:34AM4.35m | 4:32PM4.19m | 4:44AM4.32m | 5:39PM4.30m | 5:57AM4.37m | 6:43PM4.48m | 7:09AM4.50m | 7:42PM4.70m | 8:15AM4.66m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:31PM2.16m | 8:10AM1.79m | 8:23PM2.27m | 9:06AM1.88m | 9:27PM2.34m | 10:13AM1.93m | 10:45PM2.31m | 11:26AM1.91m | 00:02AM2.14m | 12:33PM1.81m | 1:08AM1.85m | 1:33PM1.67m | 2:06AM1.53m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | |
 | — | — | 4:16 | — | — | 4:18 | — | — | 4:18 | — | — | 4:20 | — | — | 4:22 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:24 |
 | — | 10:21 | — | — | 10:20 | — | — | 10:19 | — | — | 10:16 | — | — | 10:15 | — | — | 10:15 | — | — | 10:14 | 10:12 |
mm | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
Feels °C | 8 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | N 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 31 | 195 | 152 | 129 | 36 | 83 | 109 | 179 | 192 | 313 | 184 | 76 | 396 | 332 | 319 | 221 | 129 | 87 | 62 | 85 | 67 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 10 | N 8 | N 7 | — | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | — | — | — | W 21 |
| kJ | — | 117 | 80 | 54 | — | 15 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | — | — | — | W 9 | W 5 | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 171 | — | — | — | 205 | 43 | 45 | — | — | — | — | 125 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 51 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 600 | 71 | 1 | 28 |
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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