Reef

right

Level 7/10

Thurso East

Caithness, UK

🪸Sharp reef🪨Rocks🌀Strong rips👥Crowded

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Thurso East is Scotland's crown jewel--a world-class right-hand reef that has hosted international competition and draws dedicated cold-water chargers from across the globe. When North Atlantic storms send clean groundswell down the Pentland Firth, this flat rock shelf transforms into mechanical walls and barrels that rival anything in Europe.

10-Day Forecast

Today9

Poor

1.6mW@8s

27km/h

1.6m@8s

27km/h

Mon10

Poor

2.3mNNW@10s

23km/h

2.3m@10s

23km/h

Tue11

Poor

1.2mN@8s

18km/h

1.2m@8s

18km/h

Wed12

Poor

0.5mNW@10s

17km/h

0.5m@10s

17km/h

Thu13

Poor

0.7mW@8s

19km/h

0.7m@8s

19km/h

Fri14

Poor

0.9mW@9s

19km/h

0.9m@9s

19km/h

Sat15

Poor

1.2mWNW@9s

15km/h

1.2m@9s

15km/h

Sun16

Poor

1.0mWNW@8s

10km/h

1.0m@8s

10km/h

Mon17

Poor

0.8mNNW@9s

11km/h

0.8m@9s

11km/h

Tue18

Poor

1.0mNNW@7s

14km/h

1.0m@7s

14km/h

Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 21 km/h · PM 30 km/h · Tide at 5am (3.5m)

Swell

1.6m

W(280°)

Score: 10/25

Period

Short period / windswell

Score: 2/25

Wind

27km/h

W(263°)

Score: 1/25

Weather

14°C

0.0mm50%

First light 4:51amSunrise 5:21amSunset 9:17pmLast light 9:47pm

Windswell1.4m@4sSecondary0.3mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 7:54am–3:48pm · through lowStrike window: 8:29–9:47pm · droppingIdeal tide: mid

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

12°

14°

15°

16°

14°

11°

12°

13°

9°

13°

15°

17°

16°

18°

20°

23°

17°

18°

19°

20°

18°

14°

15°

14°

12°

13°

15°

14°

12°

13°

14°

12°

14°

13°

10°

11°

13°

3m1.5

sec

11s

10s

swell

windkm/h

18g32

25g43

28g50

28g51

31g55

20g35

23g40

25g45

22g39

19g35

7g10

17g31

21g37

13g21

16g27

20g35

19g35

14g24

11g17

17g31

22g39

21g37

20g35

9g15

16g29

21g37

23g41

22g37

13g21

12g22

15g31

18g37

20g36

11g24

10g22

11g24

10g25

7g25

8g12

7g16

11g23

14g27

14g29

11g18

13g22

15g29

15g31

13g29

tidem

5:40am3.5m

11:53am1.6m

6:13pm3.6m

12:33am1.3m

6:54am3.5m

12:57pm1.1m

7:15pm3.6m

1:30am0.7m

7:55am3.6m

1:49pm0.9m

8:06pm4.0m

2:19am0.4m

8:45am3.9m

2:35pm0.8m

8:50pm4.3m

3:07am0.2m

9:28am4.0m

3:18pm0.6m

9:32pm4.5m

3:51am0.0m

10:09am4.0m

3:59pm0.5m

10:12pm4.4m

4:31am0.0m

10:48am4.0m

4:39pm0.6m

5:09am0.2m

11:26am3.8m

5:17pm0.7m

5:48am0.5m

12:03pm3.6m

5:56pm0.9m

Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

5:40 am

High tide - 3.46m

11:53 am

Low tide - 1.57m

6:13 pm

High tide - 3.57m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction6/25

Swell Size10/25

Swell Period2/25

Wind1/25

Raw Score19/100

Adjustments

🌊💨 Windswell-5

💨 Gusty Wind-5

⚠️ Weak Component-5

📉 Undersized Swell-8

Adjusted Score0/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score0

🌊💨 Windswell

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to INV, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: NW (325°)
Direction range: 300° - 360°
Size range: 1.2m - 4.5m
Ideal size: 3.5m
Height multiplier: 0.97×
Ideal period: 14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: S (180°)
Offshore range: 135° - 225°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid

Water temp

10°C

Wetsuit

5/4mm + boots

Difficulty

7/10

Crowd level

5/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Thurso East?

Thurso East works best on a mid tide. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Thurso East?

Offshore wind at Thurso East blows from the S (180°). Anything in the 135° to 225° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Thurso East?

Thurso East wants NW swell (300° to 360°) between 1.2m and 4.5m, with a period of 14s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Thurso East?

The main season at Thurso East is Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar. A secondary window runs Apr, May, Aug. Best Sept-March with large North Atlantic swells