Thurso beach
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
57Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 315kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Thu 5 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sat 7 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Mon 9 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 183kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 242, poor
- Tue 350, fair
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 562, good
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 745, fair
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 963, good
- Tue 1054, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–13 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.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 315kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 9°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 62, good | 3 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 9°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the south, 8 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 63, good | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 183kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 207kJ | wind from the north, 1 knot | 9°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.
Map
the spot and its town
Thurso beach 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Sewer Pipe 1.8 km away
- Thurso East 1.8 km away
- The Bowl 7.8 km away
- Brimms Ness 7.9 km away
- Dunnet Bay 9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Thurso beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (13°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (193°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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, 1.7 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.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.