Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, W swell with 3,732 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period with WNW 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 (Sep 01) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. 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 3.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for Thurso Reef.
First up, we’re looking at a pretty lean start. Monday the 31st of August is flat and messy, with a tiny 1ft leftover bump and a 30 km/h cross-breeze, so nothing doing. Tuesday the 1st of September is cleaner but still tiny, with a 2ft swell and a 6-second period—just not enough push. Wednesday the 2nd of September is where things start to wake up. We’ve got 6ft of NNW swell, a 9-second period, and light winds in the morning, but the swell energy is moderate (679) and the conditions are only marginal. It’s not a total write-off, but you’ll be working for it.
Thursday the 3rd of September drops back to 4ft, and even though winds are clean, there’s just not enough power. We’re in a bit of a lull here.
Then Friday the 4th of September is where it gets interesting. The morning brings 7ft of W swell with a 12-second period, and the energy is ramping up (1075). By Friday afternoon, it’s a serious 12ft of W swell, still with that long 12-second period, and the energy is massive (3743). This is big, powerful groundswell, and it’s predicted to be too big for this break. Only for the experts. The wind is a fresh cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but this is a heavy, surging wave. Not a day for the faint-hearted.
Saturday the 5th of September stays big, with 10ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon, both from the WNW. The period drops to 8 seconds, so it’s more windswell, and the wind is cross-shore, so it’s lumpy. Still big, but not as clean. Sunday the 6th of September backs off to 4ft, and we get a bit of heavy rain, so it’s a return to average conditions.
The next real standout comes on Wednesday the 9th of September. We’ve got 8ft of WNW swell, a 10-second period, and the energy is strong (1140). The wind is a gentle cross-off, and it’s clean. This is excellent for experienced surfers. The swell is big, over 8ft, so it’s experts only, but the quality is there. The morning looks best. After that, it drops off again, and the rest of the second week is a mix of onshore winds and smaller, messy swells. There’s a glimmer on Tuesday the 15th of September with a glassy 3ft, 12-second groundswell, but it’s a long way out and the energy is only moderate (299). Promising, but not certain.
The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.
So, the pick of the window is Friday the 4th of September afternoon for the big, powerful groundswell, but it’s only for experts. The next best is Wednesday the 9th of September morning for experienced surfers. If you’re not in that bracket, you’re looking at a lot of waiting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue morning, calm by Wed morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Wed night, near gales from the NW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 9 | N 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | N 7 | WNW 6 | NNW 9 | NNW 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | W 11 | W 12 | W 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 15 | 12 | 127 | 30 | 24 | 158 | 505 | 640 | 262 | 207 | 125 | 303 | 1055 | 3732 | 2013 | 1379 | 931 | 579 | 185 | 133 | 434 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:13AM4.82m | 11:19PM5.06m | 11:47AM4.72m | 11:55PM4.92m | 12:25PM4.57m | 00:38AM4.69m | 1:11PM4.38m | 1:32AM4.40m | 2:10PM4.17m | 2:47AM4.12m | 3:31PM4.04m | 4:29AM4.01m | 5:06PM4.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:08AM1.12m | 5:17PM1.45m | 5:43AM1.23m | 5:54PM1.57m | 6:21AM1.42m | 6:34PM1.76m | 7:04AM1.70m | 7:23PM1.99m | 7:57AM2.02m | 8:29PM2.21m | 9:12AM2.31m | 10:04PM2.29m | 10:53AM2.41m | 11:44PM2.10m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | |  |  | | | | |  | | | |  | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:00 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 18 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | N 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | N 7 | N 7 | NNW 9 | NNW 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | W 11 | W 12 | N 8 | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 11 |
| kJ | 12 | 12 | 127 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 505 | 640 | 262 | 207 | 125 | 303 | 1055 | 11 | — | — | — | 579 | 185 | 133 | 434 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | W 10 | NW 6 | SE 5 | N 13 | W 8 | W 8 | N 11 | ESE 5 | — | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | N 8 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 |
| kJ | 15 | — | 18 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 80 | 45 | 151 | 3 | — | 66 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 16 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | N 9 | N 6 | W 9 | N 8 | — | N 11 | N 12 | W 8 | W 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 7 | 26 | 1 | — | 94 | 3 | 18 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 4 | — | SSW 4 | W 6 | WNW 6 | — | — | SE 4 | W 6 | W 6 | WSW 7 | S 4 | W 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | SSE 4 | S 4 | SSE 4 |
| kJ | — | 33 | — | 13 | 170 | 158 | — | — | 32 | 104 | 109 | 132 | 38 | 3732 | 2013 | 1379 | 931 | — | 29 | 9 | 15 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 596 | 0 | 596 | 423 | 71 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 134 | 0 | 16 | 70 | 770 | 596 | 413 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
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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