Church Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, take a seat and listen up. Rusty here. I've looked over the charts for our little corner, and I've got to be straight with you—it's a tough stretch ahead.

The whole 16-day window is a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We're looking at a frustrating run of poor conditions with no real standout sessions. The first few days are a washout with tiny, weak swell, and then when the size does start to pick up, the wind and quality don't play ball. There are long gaps with nothing to recommend at all.

Let's start with this weekend. Saturday morning, the 22nd of August, at Church Cove, we've got some surfable waves at 2ft from the west, but the energy is weak, barely registering (74). The wind is cross-off from the ENE, keeping it clean, but that's about the only good thing. It's not going to be memorable. The water temp is sitting at a comfortable 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year—a nice detail, but it doesn’t save the surf.

From there, it just goes downhill. Sunday through Tuesday sees the swell dropping off to barely a ripple, with winds strengthening and shifting, making a mess of everything. By Wednesday the 26th, we get a pulse of short-period, junky swell hitting 3 to 4ft, but it's cross-onshore and choppy. The energy is moderate, around 173-199. That's not the kind of energy you want; it's the kind that makes you want to stay on the beach.

Then things get proper gnarly, but not in a good way. On Thursday the 27th, the size jumps to a solid 8ft from the SSW. The combined energy is a beast (1015), but it's accompanied by a strong onshore wind. For any regular surfer, that's just a washing machine. Given the beach setup and the raw wind, this looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddling out.

Through the end of August and into early September, the pattern is the same: we see waves in the 5ft to 8ft range, but the wind is relentless—either onshore or strong cross-onshore, blowing everything out. The one slightly hopeful moment is Sunday the 30th when we see a 10ft swell from the SW with light wind, but the comment calls it marginal, and the short period (8 seconds) doesn't inspire confidence.

The final week into September doesn't offer any relief either. More onshore winds, lumpy conditions, and poor quality. There's a pulse on the 5th of September with a 6ft swell from the W and a long period of 11 seconds, promising some energy (852), but a gale-force WSW wind nails that coffin shut.

Bottom line: This region is staring down a long, blank run. There are no good surf options in this 16-day window. The consistent theme is poor quality. Don't buy a new board just yet; stay home, watch the cams, and hope the forecasts change.

Rusty.

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