Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, WNW swell with 273 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period with W 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 Monday (Jul 13) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso Reef in the next 16 days are 1.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 6s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Thurso Reef has on offer for the next couple of weeks.
First things first, we’ve got to be straight with each other. The next several days are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a run of poor surf conditions that stretches from the 12th of July all the way through to the morning of the 22nd. That’s a long, dry spell with nothing worth paddling out for, so don’t get your hopes up.
The only glimmer of real potential in this whole forecast lands on Thursday the 23rd of July. That morning, the swell builds to 7 ft from the WNW, pushing a solid amount of energy (1005) towards the reef. It’s a big, powerful swell – too much for beginners, this is expert territory. The wind is doing us a solid, holding cross-offshore and clean, which is key for a spot like this. It’s a reef break, so that longer period groundswell (9 seconds) will line up nicely with the optimum NW direction. It’s a proper standout in an otherwise quiet outlook, but keep in mind these long-range forecasts can shift.
Before that, on the 24th of July, the Friday afternoon glass-off is worth a mention. The wind drops to nothing, the swell is a more manageable 3 ft from the west, and conditions turn glassy. It’s not a huge day, but if you want a peaceful, clean session with the tide in your favour, that window looks like the only real chance for a smooth ride.
Otherwise, it’s a lot of messy, cross-shore chop and onshore wind, with a few fleeting moments of clean but tiny surf. The water temp is sitting at 55°F which is just normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Keep your eyes on that 23rd morning. It’s the one to circle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 10 | WNW 9 | W 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 43 | 31 | 51 | 47 | 62 | 123 | 242 | 127 | 64 | 40 | 25 | 27 | 12 | 13 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 33 | 110 | 59 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 7:42PM4.70m | 8:15AM4.66m | 8:36PM4.92m | 9:14AM4.82m | 9:27PM5.10m | 10:07AM4.91m | 10:14PM5.21m | 10:57AM4.92m | 10:59PM5.25m | 11:45AM4.85m | 11:44PM5.19m | 12:31PM4.70m | 00:29AM5.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:06AM1.53m | 2:27PM1.53m | 2:58AM1.22m | 3:16PM1.44m | 3:47AM0.99m | 4:03PM1.40m | 4:34AM0.87m | 4:47PM1.44m | 5:20AM0.88m | 5:31PM1.54m | 6:05AM1.00m | 6:14PM1.70m | 6:51AM1.22m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | |
 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:26 | — | — | 4:28 | — | — | 4:30 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — | 4:33 | — | — | 4:35 |
 | — | 10:14 | — | — | 10:12 | — | — | 10:10 | — | — | 10:08 | — | — | 10:07 | — | — | 10:06 | — | — | 10:05 | 10:02 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 10 | WNW 9 | W 8 | WNW 15 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | 43 | 31 | 51 | 47 | 62 | 123 | 242 | 127 | 64 | 40 | 25 | 27 | 12 | 13 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 25 | 33 | 23 | 53 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 6 | ENE 6 | W 21 | E 7 | W 14 | W 12 | — | W 18 | E 6 | — | E 5 | NE 5 | — | E 6 | N 8 | WNW 11 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | E 6 | WNW 13 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 106 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 59 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 21 | — | NE 6 | W 19 | — | W 18 | W 18 | — | — | — | — | N 9 | — | N 8 | — | E 7 | E 6 | N 7 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 9 | — | 2 | 7 | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 5 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 7 | E 6 | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 2 | E 2 | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | NW 8 | N 6 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 110 | 47 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 51 | 170 | 0 | 177 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 60 | 375 | 214 | 375 | 191 | 839 | 31 | 781 | 73 | 16 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Thurso Reef surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest