WATCH: River surge in Thurso is likened to a 'mini-tsunami'

Footage showing a dramatic tidal surge on the River Thurso this week has been making a splash on social media.

The 45-second clip was captured from the town bridge by local resident Henk Pieter Sterk on Tuesday afternoon. Tweeting the clip, he added the comment: "Never seen such a tide surge coming in Thurso river, incredible to watch."

The video shows a succession of waves pushing upstream and turning the relatively calm surface of the river into something resembling a rough sea.

A surge of this kind is known more prosaically as a bore, a phenomenon in which the leading edge of an incoming tide goes up the river against the current.

Henk Pieter's footage has had 83,000 views online, with over 400 retweets and more than 3000 likes. One person replied: "That's something really special to see," while another wrote: "I was driving up the riverside and wondering how on earth I was seeing proper waves!"

One comment likened it to a "mini-tsunami".

Henk Pieter (30), originally from the Netherlands, has been living in Thurso for more than four years and is a Peatland ACTION project officer with NatureScot. He recently completed his PhD in Environmental Science at the town's Environmental Research Institute, looking into assessing the condition of the Flow Country peatlands to support their future protection.

Henk Pieter said: "It's quite extraordinary to see how the video has taken off."

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