Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 3 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 11s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 11s period, N swell with 988 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with NNW 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 Thursday (Jul 30) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Reef in the next 16 days are 2.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto folks, Rusty here with a look at what the next couple of weeks are throwing at us for Thurso Reef. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow burn. We’ve got a good stretch of small, blown-out days to start before some proper winter energy finally shows up towards the end of the run.
First up, Thursday the 30th of July kicks things off with a faint 3ft swell from the NNW but it's weak, only 142 in combined energy. The tide’s not the problem, but it’s just not delivering. Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st of August bring a bit more size, around 3.6ft to 5.2ft from the WNW, but a strong cross-off wind in the 15-18 mph range is just shredding the surface. It’s clean but those winds are too heavy for anything decent.
Sunday the 2nd of August is more of the same – 3.9ft from the WNW with a cross-shore breeze. The energy bumps up a little to 349, but it’s still lumpy and cross-chop. Not worth paddling out for. Monday the 3rd of August sees a shift in swell direction to the north. We get an 11-second period swell at 5.9ft and the combined energy jumps to 792, but the wind is onshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon. It’s marginal at best and the ratings reflect it.
Tuesday the 4th through to Monday the 10th of August is quiet. Very quiet. Swell sizes drop below 3.3ft, often 1ft to 1.6ft, with combined energy figures in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. There are some glassy mornings in there on the 6th, 8th, and 9th of August, which would be lovely for a flat day float, but there’s no real push for a surfer. That’s over a week of barely a ripple.
Now, let’s get to the good part. The standout window kicks off on Wednesday the 12th of August. We get a 6.6ft swell from the west, period 8 seconds. The combined energy is a solid 454. The morning shows clean conditions with a light S wind at 3 mph, going cross-off. "Expect good surf conditions" is the call, and I’m feeling that. It’s a proper return of energy.
But the real highlight, the one you’ve been waiting for, is Friday the 14th of August. This is the one to circle. We’re looking at an 8.2ft west swell with a long 11-second period, and the combined energy rockets up to 1669 – that’s proper, powerful groundswell. The wind is a clean cross-off from the SW at only 9 mph. That’s going to produce excellent, well-shaped waves for experienced surfers. With that much size and that long a period, it can get a bit straight on a beach, but on a reef setup like this, it should be a dream. Crowds are possible here, but on a day like this, it’ll be the crew that knows their shit. It’s the clear winner of the entire 16-day window.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Wed night, fresh winds from the W by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sat night, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NNW 9 | N 11 | N 10 | NNW 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 102 | 75 | 28 | 200 | 200 | 160 | 107 | 144 | 119 | 178 | 163 | 564 | 748 | 510 | 333 | 190 | 140 | 138 | 126 | 99 | 49 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:12AM4.53m | 10:14PM4.89m | 10:43AM4.59m | 10:44PM4.94m | 11:14AM4.61m | 11:15PM4.95m | 11:46AM4.59m | 11:48PM4.91m | 12:20PM4.52m | 00:23AM4.81m | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | 1:46PM4.29m | 1:55AM4.48m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:04PM1.69m | 4:30AM1.35m | 4:37PM1.63m | 5:03AM1.31m | 5:10PM1.63m | 5:36AM1.32m | 5:43PM1.68m | 6:12AM1.38m | 6:19PM1.78m | 6:50AM1.50m | 6:59PM1.93m | 7:34AM1.68m | 7:47PM2.10m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 4:58 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:40 | — | — | 9:38 | — | — | 9:36 | — | — | 9:34 | — | — | 9:31 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:27 |
mm | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | WNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | N 11 | N 10 | NNW 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 |
| kJ | 102 | 75 | 28 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 107 | 144 | 119 | 171 | 155 | 564 | 748 | 510 | 333 | 190 | 140 | 138 | 126 | 99 | 49 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 8 | NW 6 | — | — | N 11 | NNW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | — | NW 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | W 9 | WNW 6 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 11 |
| kJ | 12 | 28 | 10 | — | — | 2 | 101 | 2 | 8 | — | 4 | 57 | 37 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | W 11 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 5 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | WNW 6 |
| kJ | 28 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 72 | 200 | 200 | 160 | — | 64 | 80 | 178 | 163 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 4 | 413 | 26 | 26 | 428 | 1 | 835 | 413 | 290 | 291 | 1 | 31 | 31 | 16 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 94 | 31 | 16 |
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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