Thurso East
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
26Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 7 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 342kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 163kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sat 7 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Mon 9 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 241kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 440, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 75, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 946, fair
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Expertwho it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
Thurso East does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft16 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 40, too small | 4 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 342kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 9°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 7°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 241kJ | offshorewind from the south, 8 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 7°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
- 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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:51 +1.0 mLow 10:34 −0.9 mHigh 16:52 +1.3 mLow 23:17 −1.6 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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for expert surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Thurso East on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Thurso East
More surf near here
5 places
- Sewer Pipe 0.6 km away
- Thurso beach 1.8 km away
- Dunnet Bay 8.3 km away
- Brimms Ness 9.2 km away
- The Bowl 9.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Thurso East
Facing, offshore wind, exposure and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (0°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (180°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). 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 July, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Thurso, 0.8 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to INV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$422–US$871 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$281–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about 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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Thurso its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dunnet on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Melvich on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 4 places to stay
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
Flights ORD → INV on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.