Staying Home Sucks, home
Thurso Bay
Sewer Pipe. Photo: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sewer Pipe

Surf spot · UK

Is it worth the trip?

45Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 41 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
167kJ
Wind
NW 8 kn
Temp
12°C

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
79kJ
Wind
NNE 1 kn
Temp
11°C

Wed 4 · 72 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
263kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
11°C

Thu 5 · 48 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
134kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 35 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
66kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
10°C

Sat 7 · 29 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
60kJ
Wind
SSW 6 kn
Temp
9°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
471kJ
Wind
SW 7 kn
Temp
10°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 134, poor
  2. Mon 241, poor
  3. Tue 346, fair
  4. Wed 472, good
  5. Thu 548, fair
  6. Fri 635, too small
  7. Sat 729, too small
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 90, too big
  10. Tue 1015, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Ntakes swell from the N
  • Offshore: Swind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–14 ftof swell
  • Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Sewer Pipe does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sewer Pipe, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov34, poor4 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)238kJwind from the west-south-west, 12 knots11°C
Mon 2Nov41, poor4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots12°C
Tue 3Nov46, fair3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)79kJwind from the north-north-east, 1 knot11°C
Wed 4Nov72, good4 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)263kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore11°C
Thu 5Nov48, fair3 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)134kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots10°C
Fri 6Nov35, too small2 ft8 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)66kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore10°C
Sat 7Nov29, too small2 ft8 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the south-south-west, 6 knots, offshore9°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)471kJwind from the south-west, 7 knots10°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big9 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)999kJwind from the south-west, 9 knots8°C
Tue 10Nov15, poor5 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)464kJwind from the west, 20 knots7°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 00:30 +1.0 mLow 06:34 −1.0 mHigh 12:46 +1.2 mLow 19:27 −1.3 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 01:57 +0.8 mLow 07:50 −0.8 mHigh 14:09 +1.1 mLow 20:52 −1.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 03:33 +0.8 mLow 09:17 −0.7 mHigh 15:38 +1.1 mLow 22:12 −1.4 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Sewer Pipe

The River Thurso close to its emergence into Thurso Bay
Photo: Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Thurso Beach and Bay
Photo: Paul E Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Thurso beach at the head of Thurso Bay
Photo: Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sewer Pipe

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces N (7°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (187°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 29). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Thurso, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 11°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,290–US$2,390 each

about US$1,290–US$2,390 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to INV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$422–US$871
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$281–US$469
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$228
Totalabout US$1,290–US$2,390

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Thurso

1 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Thurso · Booking.com

About Thurso its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$107 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 18h 05m

About 18h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 25m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.