Church Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. Honestly, the next 16 days are a tough watch for Church Cove. For the first several days, we’re looking at tiny swell and choppy conditions, but things get interesting for a couple of days late in the month for the experienced crew only.

The forecast kicks off from Sunday the 23rd of August. It’s small, real small, with a 1ft to 1ft SSW swell and a long 14-second period, but the 12 mph east cross-offshore wind keeps it clean. Problem is the combined wave energy is weak, only 53-72, so there’s just not enough push to surf. That pattern continues through Monday and Tuesday morning, with the swell barely reaching 2ft by Tuesday afternoon. The wind picks up strong on Monday, 25 mph, making it messy despite the clean look. By Wednesday the 26th, we see a drop in period to 8 seconds and cross-onshore wind, so it’s choppy and weak. Not worth paddling out.

Now, Thursday the 27th of August is where things change, but not for the better for most of us. The swell jumps to 6ft from the SSW, but the period is only 8 seconds, so it’s going to be a lumpy, disorganised close-out. The combined energy is a moderate 533, but the onshore wind is 16 mph from the SSW, so it’s messy. Friday the 28th drops back a bit, 3ft with cross-onshore wind. Still not great.

The standout window is the weekend of the 29th and 30th of August. Saturday morning, the 29th, we get the biggest swell of the period: 8ft from the west, 8-second period. That’s a lot of water moving, with combined energy hitting 748, but the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore from the WNW, making it lumpy and tough. Saturday afternoon stays big at 8ft, same story. This is expert-only territory due to the size and the chop. Sunday the 30th sees a drop to 4ft in the morning, but it jumps back to 7ft in the afternoon from the SW with onshore wind. Again, not clean.

From Monday the 31st onward, the swell stays in the 3ft to 5ft range, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore, and the period stays short, mostly 7-9 seconds. There’s a brief moment on Monday the 7th of September with a light 6 mph onshore wind and a 4ft west swell, but it’s not enough to recommend. The water temperature is sitting at 65°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it’s not freezing.

To be honest, the only real interest here is for experienced surfers on Saturday the 29th of August when the swell is over 6ft, but you’ll be battling lumpy, wind-affected waves. For everyone else, it’s a write-off. This is a stretch of poor surf conditions with no real standouts. Church Cove is an inconsistent spot that’s fairly exposed to the southwest, and with the wind and swell not lining up, we’re stuck waiting. Keep an eye on the forecasts, though; things can change.

Rusty.

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