Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with 1,006 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 7s. 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 2.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here, talking surf for the Thurso area over the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got a dry spell to start. From Monday the 24th through Saturday the 29th of August, the surf is mostly junk. There’s some swell around, but the wind is cross-off or cross-shore all week, and the energy is weak – combined energy numbers are mostly under 100 (like 69, 39, 92), which means flat spells with a little bump. Not worth the wetsuit.
Sunday the 30th of August is the one to circle on the calendar. The morning session is the best of the whole forecast. We’re looking at a clean 8ft swell from the north, nothing huge but solid. The wind is glassy, flat calm. That means Thurso Reef (Caithness) will be absolutely clean as a whistle, with no wind chop. The combined energy is a solid 736, so there’s proper power behind it. This is an intermediate reef that’s fairly consistent, so you'll get plenty of waves. Be ready for a crowd though, because with conditions this perfect, it’ll be busy. Get your session in by lunch because the afternoon wind goes cross-shore and the quality drops.
After that Sunday high, it goes quiet again. Monday the 31st has a 5ft swell, but the wind is up and messy. Not a winner.
Looking into September, there’s a couple of interesting pulses. Thursday the 3rd of September morning offers a clean 5ft swell with light offshore winds and combined energy of 314. A smaller, clean wave, but nothing to get too worked up about.
Then, on Sunday the 6th of September, we get a very long period groundswell. A 2ft swell with a period of 21 seconds – that’s an incredibly long period. The combined energy is 622, which is moderate but the wave shape will be excellent for the size, with long waits between sets. This kind of energy is perfect for a reef like this. It’s a promising long-range look.
Keep an eye on Monday the 7th of September. The forecast shows a huge 10ft swell from the west with a 15-second period, and combined energy of 3747, with clean cross-off winds. But that size is way too big for this break – it’s expert only, and probably just out of control. Not a fun surf. The following Tuesday (8th) still has a big 7ft swell, but the wind goes cross-shore, making it messy.
So, the clear standout is the glassy, clean Sunday morning on the 30th of August. That’s the session to aim for.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the SE by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, fresh winds from the WSW by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 973 | 685 | 495 | 313 | 149 | 49 | 24 | 19 | 22 | 68 | 59 | 35 | 29 | 91 | 108 | 653 | 836 | 792 | 733 | 659 | 373 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 7:22AM3.94m | 7:29PM4.24m | 8:08AM4.17m | 8:10PM4.48m | 8:43AM4.38m | 8:45PM4.70m | 9:14AM4.57m | 9:16PM4.89m | 9:44AM4.72m | 9:46PM5.03m | 10:13AM4.81m | 10:16PM5.11m | 10:42AM4.84m | 10:47PM5.13m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:18PM2.35m | 1:49AM1.97m | 1:59PM2.11m | 2:26AM1.71m | 2:35PM1.88m | 2:59AM1.48m | 3:08PM1.68m | 3:31AM1.30m | 3:40PM1.52m | 4:03AM1.17m | 4:11PM1.43m | 4:35AM1.10m | 4:44PM1.40m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  | | | |  |  |  |  | | | | |  | |
 | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 5 | — | 2 | 13 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | ESE 8 | W 9 | ESE 8 | E 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | E 10 | E 9 | ENE 8 | W 13 | W 12 | E 6 |
| kJ | 973 | 685 | 495 | 313 | 149 | 49 | 24 | 19 | 22 | 105 | 59 | 60 | 45 | 91 | 108 | 192 | 56 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | W 10 | N 7 | W 8 | W 8 | E 9 | ESE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 6 | 5 | 68 | 1 | 35 | 29 | 55 | 184 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 9 | W 7 | N 8 | — | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | E 3 | E 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | — | NW 6 | — | NNE 5 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 |
| kJ | — | 2 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 261 | 119 | — | 9 | — | 80 | 653 | 836 | 792 | 733 | 659 | 373 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 9 | 33 | 165 | 177 | 281 | 0 | 1 | 71 | 24 | 24 | 180 | 180 | 141 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 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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