Thurso Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s in store for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty grim stretch for Thurso Reef. We’re looking at a long, drawn-out period of frustrating conditions. The first real surf on offer is a tiny pulse on Monday the 13th, but it’s a write-off with 2 ft of weak, short-period junk from the WNW and a messy cross-shore wind. Honestly, don’t even bother.

We then have a solid week of the same story. Through Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the swell stays tiny, under 3 ft, and the wind is either cross or cross-offshore, but the wave quality is just poor. There’s a moment on Thursday morning the 16th that looks glassy, but the swell is a pathetic 1 ft – not enough to push a leaf. The combined wave energy is weak, barely hitting 27. It’s a real flat spell.

Friday the 17th through the weekend sees a little more size, maybe 3 ft to 3 ft, but the wind swings hard from the NW, smashing the place with a cross to cross-on breeze. The energy picks up a bit (139), but it’s lumpy, choppy, and no fun. The whole setup is more suited to a kite than a paddle.

Then, from Monday the 20th, the swell starts to build. We get a pulse of 5 ft on Monday morning, rising to 8 ft by Tuesday the 21st, all from the WNW. The combined energy jumps to 977, which is strong, but the wind is howling at 25 mph from the WNW, making it a total mess. For a reef break, that’s a no-go for anyone but the most experienced, and even then, it’ll be ugly.

There’s a slight glimmer on Wednesday the 22nd morning. The swell drops to a cleaner 7 ft, and the wind eases to a gentle 9 mph from the WSW, giving us clean conditions. The energy is still solid at 605. For an expert surfer, this might be the one window to look at, but it’s still a big, powerful reef wave. It’s the only time the score even gets a 2 out of 10, and that’s for “marginal” conditions.

After that, it fades back into small, weak, and windy stuff for the rest of the month. The end of the first week of August (the 25th-28th) shows some 4 ft to 5 ft swell, but the wind is either onshore, cross, or howling again. The Saturday morning of the 25th is glassy, but the swell is only 4 ft and short-period, making for ordinary, weak waves.

Bottom line: this is a brutal run. The only thing close to a standout is the Wednesday morning of the 22nd, but that’s for experts only. For everyone else, I’d be looking for a new hobby for the next two weeks. The forecast can always change, but right now, it’s a desert.

Rusty.

Read more