Thurso Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down the same forecast for Thurso Reef in feet.

We’ve got a couple of decent pulses coming through, but you’ll need to pick your windows. The pattern starts with a bit of size but messy wind, cleans up mid-week, then goes dead for a long stretch before a hopeful window in the second week.

Tuesday 28th July is a write-off. The morning has a 4ft swell from the NNW (moderate energy – 450) but with a cross-off wind from the SE messing it up. The afternoon cleans up with a light offshore from the SW and a 4ft N swell (379 energy), and the report says “expect good surf conditions,” but it’s small.

Wednesday 29th July is the first standout. The morning brings a solid 7ft west swell with a 9-second period and a ton of energy (859). The wind is a cross-off from the WSW, so it’s clean but a bit lumpy. The report says “marginal surf forecast,” but at 7ft on a reef, that’s a proper session. The afternoon drops to 5ft and the wind turns worse, so the morning is the call.

Thursday 30th July is a dud. A 3ft NNW swell in the morning with a cross-shore wind, and the afternoon is a messy 5ft cross-shore affair. Not worth it.

Friday 31st July is tiny. A 2ft NW swell in the morning with a clean offshore SSW wind (75 energy) – surfable but ordinary. The afternoon is even smaller.

Saturday 1st August is a tease. The morning has a 4ft west swell with a clean offshore wind from the SW (173 energy), but it’s very ordinary. The afternoon gets blown out.

Sunday 2nd August is the biggest day. The morning pumps a 8ft WNW swell with a 8-second period and 575 energy. The wind is cross-off from the WSW, so it’s clean. But 8ft on a reef is for experts only, and it’s “marginal surf forecast.” The afternoon is a 7ft cross-shore mess.

From Monday 3rd August through Friday 7th August, it’s mostly flat or tiny, with poor winds and energy readings dropping as low as 42. That’s a long gap of several days with no real surf.

Saturday 8th August brings the second standout. The morning has a 4ft WNW swell, with a clean cross-off wind from the WSW (209 energy) and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” This is a nice size for intermediates, and the wind is offshore.

Sunday 9th August morning is glassy with a tiny 2ft west swell – very small. The afternoon gets a 3ft WNW swell with a longer 10-second period (217 energy), but it’s cross-onshore.

Monday 10th August is a clean 3ft morning, but ordinary. The rest of the week into Wednesday 12th August fades, until the last morning in the data, which has a 3ft N swell with a long 11-second period (245 energy) and clean cross-off winds – “expect good surf conditions.” That’s a promising but less certain long-range call.

Best on offer: Wednesday 29th July morning for the power (7ft, W), and Saturday 8th August morning for the clean, user-friendly size (4ft, WNW). The west swell direction is right on the money for this reef.

Water temp is about average for the time of year.

Rusty, signing off.

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