Thurso East
United Kingdom · Atlantic Europe
Right now
DrizzleWind and swell direction
Swell: 1.1m N
Wind: 10 km/h SW (offshore)
Beach faces: N
Offshore wind (blowing from land to sea). Ideal conditions, holding up wave faces for cleaner surf.
Swell is arriving at a great angle for this beach.
Today hour by hour
Updated 12:36Expected crowds
Prediction model v15amDawn patrol territory
7amMidweek quiet
Next 7 days
Forecast via Open-MeteoWhat to pack
- Cold water (10°C). 5/4mm wetsuit, booties and gloves.
- Sunny days ahead. Sun cream and a rashie.
- Standard shortboard conditions.
Forecast accuracy at Thurso East
Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.
Best time to go
quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session
quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session
quiet evening session
Nearby spots right now
Crowd report
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Session journal
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Create free accountTide
Approximate modelBest on mid-high tide
Swell forecast
7-day forecastDaily score breakdown
This week is looking well above average for late April.
Comparing the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Thurso East.
What's driving it
Recent form
Last 4 days of logged conditions.
Best time to visit Thurso East
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
Key insights
- The best week for surf at Thurso East is the week of 4 May (score 3/5) with low crowds.
- Avoid the week of 13 July if you can due to Summer holidays and Sommerferien.
Best time to visit
Crowd calendar
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
School holidays affecting this destination
How are these scores calculated?
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
About Thurso East
One of Europe's finest cold-water reef breaks, delivering long barrelling right-handers beneath castle ruins on Scotland's north coast. Arctic water and the remote location keep crowds thin, rewarding dedicated surfers brave enough to embrace the cold.
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Create Profile →Frequently asked questions
How often is this page updated?
Current conditions refresh every 6 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
What is the luck factor?
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Thurso East. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical late April.
How is 'best session' picked?
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Where does the data come from?
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Does the score capture local knowledge?
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
When is the best time to surf Thurso East?
The best week for surf at Thurso East is the week of 4 May (score 3/5) with low crowds.