Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s period, WSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, N swell with 321 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s period with WSW 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 (Aug 13) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 6s. 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 1.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s heading our way for Thurso Reef.
Right now, the opening of this 16-day stretch is a bit of a flat, quiet start. We’re talking about a tiny 1ft WSW groundswell with a decent 11-second period on Thursday the 13th, but the energy is weak (61), and the wind is glassy in the morning which is a good sign for clean conditions, but honestly, there's just no power to it. It’s surfable but nothing to get excited about.
Things don't improve much as we head into Friday the 14th through the weekend. We see some bump in swell energy, even hitting moderate levels (165) on Friday morning, but the wind is howling from the west at 12 mph, and it’s cross-offshore. It keeps the surface clean, but the swell is short-period and weak, making for poor surf.
Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th stay frustrating. The swell gets a bit stronger on Sunday morning (160) with a 3ft WNW swell, but the wind is cross-onshore and light, creating small ripples on the face. There’s a glimmer Monday afternoon with a 4ft easterly swell but it’s only 5 seconds – no push to it.
Tuesday the 18th is tiny again. We’re looking at a gap of poor conditions with only marginal waves until we get to the one standout of the whole period.
The real bright spot is Friday the 21st. For the first time in a while, we get some decent wave energy. The morning shows a 5ft NNW swell (293 – moderate energy) with a light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at 6 mph. That will keep things clean at Thurso Reef. The period is 8 seconds, so it’s a windswell, but it will wrap in and produce good surf for the intermediate crew. This is the best on offer. It's the one clear shot of quality in the whole outlook.
After that, the surf fades back into small, ordinary conditions through the 22nd and 23rd. Sunday the 23rd afternoon is worth a mention too – glassy conditions with a 5ft NNW pulse that pumps the energy up to 393, but still, it's a short-period windswell and it might be a little sloppy under the glassy skin. The 24th blows out with a strong offshore breeze, and the rest of the second week drops back to tiny, weak waves.
Overall, it's a lean run. There’s only one day that really gets the heart pumping, and that’s Friday the 21st. If you’re free, hit it. The rest of the 16 days is a waiting game.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the W by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | N 10 | N 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | N 7 | N 8 | E 5 | E 6 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | E 5 | NE 6 | NNE 8 | N 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 43 | 58 | 73 | 122 | 45 | 25 | 26 | 195 | 207 | 104 | 73 | 54 | 61 | 52 | 30 | 18 | 18 | 64 | 144 | 240 | 320 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:57AM4.97m | 9:59PM5.31m | 10:39AM4.99m | 10:40PM5.35m | 11:18AM4.92m | 11:19PM5.28m | 11:55AM4.77m | 11:57PM5.10m | 12:32PM4.57m | 00:36AM4.83m | 1:10PM4.35m | 1:17AM4.51m | 1:52PM4.13m | 2:06AM4.17m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:48PM1.37m | 4:17AM0.79m | 4:28PM1.34m | 4:58AM0.82m | 5:07PM1.40m | 5:37AM0.98m | 5:45PM1.53m | 6:16AM1.25m | 6:23PM1.74m | 6:55AM1.57m | 7:03PM1.99m | 7:36AM1.93m | 7:49PM2.25m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | |  |  | | | |
 | 5:28 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:05 | — | — | 9:01 | — | 8:59 | — | — | 8:57 | — | — | 8:53 | — | — | 8:51 | — |
mm | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 16 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | N 9 | N 10 | N 9 | W 9 | N 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | N 7 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 6 | W 8 | ESE 6 | WSW 13 |
| kJ | 43 | 58 | 73 | 43 | 45 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 207 | 104 | 73 | 54 | 61 | 44 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 54 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | N 10 | N 10 | SE 6 | SE 5 | E 5 | N 9 | N 9 | NW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 6 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | ESE 7 |
| kJ | 6 | 34 | 44 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 21 | 51 | 63 | 34 | 8 | 26 | 22 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 15 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | W 5 | SE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | N 8 | — | N 9 | W 10 | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | W 17 | — |
| kJ | 12 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | — | 26 | 18 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 10 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 3 | E 5 | NE 6 | NNE 8 | N 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 122 | 66 | 101 | 89 | 195 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 52 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 64 | 144 | 240 | 320 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 901 | 728 | 596 | 770 | 89 | 16 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 209 | 27 | 94 | 71 |
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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