Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, NW swell with 3,431 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s 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 (Aug 31) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 6s. 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 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Thurso Reef over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, the next few days are pretty grim. You’ve got a bit of wind and chop knocking things around, so the first real chance of a surf doesn’t show up until the morning of Wednesday, 2nd September. That’s when the swell kicks in properly, so we’re looking at a good four-day wait for anything worthwhile.
The standout window here is the morning of Wednesday, 2nd September. The swell is coming from the northwest at 8ft, with a period around 9 seconds. The combined energy of all swells directed here is strong (1040), and with a clean, cross-offshore breeze, it’s going to be clean and powerful. This is a reef break, and that size is only for experienced surfers – the waves will have some real punch. It’s fairly consistent here, but it can get crowded sometimes, so expect a few others in the water.
The morning of Friday, 4th September is the next real standout. The swell jumps up to 8ft from the west, with a very long period of 14 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, bringing heaps of energy (2368). The wind is light and cross-offshore, so the conditions will be glassy. Again, the size and the reef make this an expert-only session.
Through the rest of the first week and into the second, there are some other moments that are worth a look, like the Sunday morning of 6th September, with a clean 5ft swell and offshore wind (358 combined energy), or the Wednesday and Thursday of 9th and 10th September, but the swell is smaller and more ordinary. By the time you get to the 12th and 13th, it’s mostly blown out and messy again.
So, the best of the best is the morning of Wednesday, 2nd September, and the morning of Friday, 4th September. Mark those in the calendar for a proper session at Thurso Reef. The water is going to feel about average for the time of year.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Tue morning, calm by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | N 5 | N 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | N 6 | N 6 | W 9 | N 6 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 7 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | N 10 | W 6 | W 7 | W 14 | W 12 | W 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 54 | 56 | 121 | 75 | 41 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 298 | 293 | 554 | 3431 | 796 | 560 | 531 | 240 | 236 | 539 | 2313 | 2120 | 1087 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:13AM4.81m | 10:16PM5.11m | 10:42AM4.84m | 10:47PM5.13m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:03AM1.17m | 4:11PM1.43m | 4:35AM1.10m | 4:44PM1.40m | 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 | |||||||
 | |  | | | |  | |  | |  | | | |  |  | | |  | | | |
 | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | 1 | 8 | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | NW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | W 8 | N 9 | NNW 9 | — | NNW 12 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | W 11 |
| kJ | 35 | 47 | 121 | 75 | 41 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 298 | 25 | 25 | — | 244 | 560 | 531 | 240 | 154 | 81 | 55 | 34 | 1087 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | E 7 | E 6 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | ESE 4 | — | N 6 | W 9 | N 9 | — | — | NW 8 | W 7 | SE 5 | N 10 | — | — | — | N 8 |
| kJ | 4 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | — | 7 | 15 | 6 | — | — | 211 | 17 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 10 | — | N 12 | W 8 | W 9 | N 9 | N 11 | N 9 | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | SE 4 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | 93 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 5 | N 7 | E 6 | ENE 6 | E 3 | E 4 | — | W 5 | SSW 3 | WNW 8 | W 7 | NW 10 | NW 9 | — | SE 4 | W 5 | W 6 | W 7 | W 14 | W 12 | — |
| kJ | 54 | 56 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 14 | — | 83 | 5 | 293 | 554 | 3431 | 796 | — | 8 | 86 | 236 | 539 | 2313 | 2120 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 191 | 73 | 9 | 1 | 41 | 41 | 136 | 423 | 0 | 674 | 596 | 281 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 375 | 1101 | 585 | 0 | 94 | 596 |
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