Surf Forecasts:
Thurso Reef surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, W swell with 8,584 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s 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 (Sep 07) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 14s period. 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 4.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up.
Alright, the first week of the forecast is a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s a real standout window for the experienced crew. After that, we've got a couple more promising windows, though they're further out.
For the first few days, it's a bit of a write-off, to be honest. Sunday (Sept 6th) is looking pretty grim with a weak 3ft west swell, so don't bother paddling out. Monday (Sept 7th) is where things start to get interesting. The morning sees a bump to 5ft from the WSW with a clean offshore wind, but the real deal is Monday afternoon. That’s our first standout. The swell jumps to 8ft from the W, with a solid 13-second period and that's backed up by a big combined energy of 2885. The wind is fresh and offshore, which will keep it clean. This is proper groundswell and it's going to be pumping at Thurso Reef. Now, at that size and with that energy, this is not for beginners. It’s strictly for the intermediate-to-expert surfers. The offshore wind from the SSW is right on the money for this spot.
Tuesday (Sept 8th) is massive, with a 10ft W swell, but it's predicted to be too big for the break, even for experts. Wednesday (Sept 9th) drops back but the wind goes cross-shore and makes a mess of things. Thursday (Sept 10th) and Friday (Sept 11th) are pretty ordinary. Saturday (Sept 12th) and Sunday (Sept 13th) have some decent size, with 7ft to 10ft WNW swells, but the wind is mostly cross-off, which is okay but not perfect. The bigger days on the 13th are again predicted to be too big for the break.
Then we have a bit of a lull through Monday (Sept 14th) and Tuesday (Sept 15th) with smaller, average conditions, and Wednesday (Sept 16th) is a total washout with onshore winds.
Now, for the second week, the best bet is shaping up for Thursday, September 17th. The morning looks fantastic with a clean 7ft W swell, light offshore wind from the SW, and a combined energy of 738. The swell period is a decent 10 seconds. That’s a solid session for a good surfer. The afternoon is massive again at 12ft from the W with a 13-second period, but just like the previous big swell, it's forecast to be too big for the break. That Thursday morning is a real standout for the second week.
After that, Friday (Sept 18th) is still big but the wind goes cross-shore, which will put some chop on it, and it drops off fast through the weekend. The final Monday (Sept 21st) shows a small clean 3ft NNW swell with offshore wind, which could be a fun little morning session for a longboard or a fish.
So, the pick of the entire forecast is Monday afternoon, Sept 7th. If you can get out there and you’ve got the skills, that’s the one to circle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Mon night, light winds from the NNE by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Wed morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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 | W 8 | W 9 | WSW 8 | W 13 | W 14 | W 12 | W 11 | NW 10 | NW 8 | NW 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 | W 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 117 | 68 | 339 | 264 | 1854 | 6783 | 2807 | 1954 | 1092 | 392 | 306 | 108 | 70 | 125 | 210 | 328 | 472 | 293 | 1140 | 1624 | 1965 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | on | cross-on | cross | cross | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:06PM4.09m | 6:11AM4.14m | 6:28PM4.33m | 7:23AM4.42m | 7:29PM4.65m | 8:16AM4.69m | 8:17PM4.95m | 9:00AM4.89m | 9:00PM5.19m | 9:38AM5.00m | 9:38PM5.31m | 10:12AM5.01m | 10:14PM5.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:53AM2.41m | 11:44PM2.10m | 12:19PM2.25m | 00:56AM1.73m | 1:20PM1.99m | 1:50AM1.36m | 2:08PM1.71m | 2:35AM1.05m | 2:50PM1.49m | 3:16AM0.87m | 3:29PM1.34m | 3:55AM0.82m | 4:05PM1.28m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:44 | — |
mm | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 9 | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 12 |
Feels °C | 12 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 8 | SE 7 | W 11 | W 13 | W 14 | W 12 | W 11 | SSE 7 | W 10 | — | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 | SE 5 | W 10 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 |
| kJ | 117 | 68 | 12 | 85 | 1854 | 6783 | 2807 | 1954 | 5 | 220 | — | 108 | 70 | 125 | 210 | 1 | 33 | 293 | 1140 | 1624 | 1965 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | NW 8 | N 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | — | — | SE 7 | — | — | — | NNW 6 | N 6 | N 6 | N 7 | — | SE 6 | WNW 14 | N 9 | N 9 | SE 5 |
| kJ | 78 | 28 | 6 | 8 | 2 | — | — | 11 | — | — | — | 32 | 6 | 3 | 4 | — | 1 | 120 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | WNW 7 | W 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | N 7 | — | — | — | N 10 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 15 | 14 | 5 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | SSE 4 | W 9 | WSW 8 | W 12 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | — | NW 10 | NW 8 | NW 8 | — | SSE 4 | SSE 3 | SSW 3 | W 6 | WNW 8 | — | — | SE 3 | — |
| kJ | 15 | 16 | 339 | 264 | 1031 | 87 | 87 | — | 1092 | 392 | 306 | — | 10 | 3 | 9 | 328 | 472 | — | — | 6 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 41 | 16 | 24 | 363 | 920 | 617 | 524 | 9 | 593 | 428 | 305 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 596 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 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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