Surf Forecasts:
Church Cove surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, WNW swell with 979 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Church Cove this week:
The surf forecast for Church Cove over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Church Cove in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Church Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Church Cove has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. Church Cove is a pretty exposed little cove, but for the entire first week and a half, we’re staring down the barrel of some pretty ordinary conditions. The winds are mostly cross or onshore, and the sea state is just lumpy and messy. There’s a bit of energy in the water on Thursday the 20th with a 8ft swell from the west, but that 19 mph cross-wind is just going to trash it, leaving us with a lumpy cross-chop. The combined energy is moderate at 868. It’s just not worth the paddle.
The whole weekend from the 22nd through the 24th is a total write-off. Tiny waves, weak energy (down to 37 on Monday the 24th), and on top of that, Monday brings a strong breeze up to 28 mph from the east. That’s a day to stay home or go for a kite session if you’re into that.
We do get a bit of a pulse mid-week, but it’s not clean. On Wednesday the 26th, the swell picks up to 5ft from the SSW, but with a short period of 7 seconds and a fresh onshore wind, it’s just a messy, lumpy 307 energy. No good.
There’s a real tease at the end of August. On Saturday the 29th, we see a big spike in energy – 13ft from the WSW with 3175 energy – but with a 22 mph cross-onshore wind, it’s unrideable. The following Sunday the 30th morning, the swell is 12ft from the west, but the onshore wind is blowing 12 mph, and the wave comment says it’s simply too big for this break anyway. That’s a hard pass.
Now, here’s the light at the end of the tunnel. This is a long-range call, so keep your fingers crossed, but the forecast for Friday the 4th of September looks promising. We’ve got a 10ft swell from the west, with a 9-second period, and the wind is a gentle offshore from the north-northeast at just 9 mph. That’s clean, offshore conditions. The water temperature is sitting at 66°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The combined energy is strong at 1672. This is one for the experienced crew only – that 10ft swell is well over the 8ft mark, so it’s strictly for the experts. The morning looks excellent, too. This is the standout session in the entire 16-day window, but it’s far out, so treat it as a promising hope, not a guarantee.
So, to sum it up: we’ve got a long, dry gap of nearly two weeks with nothing worth paddling out for. The only real highlight is that Friday the 4th of September. The rest of the month? It’s a blank run.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 17°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Mon afternoon, light winds from the S by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 10 | W 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
847 | 979 | 470 | 220 | 137 | 38 | 52 | 40 | 42 | 38 | 38 | 40 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 50 | 63 | 123 | 250 | 181 | 201 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:36AM3.66m | 11:06PM3.49m | 11:42AM3.40m | 00:25AM3.26m | 1:09PM3.29m | 1:52AM3.23m | 2:28PM3.38m | 3:01AM3.38m | 3:28PM3.62m | 3:53AM3.62m | 4:14PM3.91m | 4:34AM3.89m | 4:52PM4.21m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:07PM1.34m | 5:31AM1.50m | 6:05PM1.62m | 6:38AM1.72m | 7:29PM1.75m | 8:12AM1.74m | 9:05PM1.64m | 9:33AM1.53m | 10:08PM1.35m | 10:25AM1.22m | 10:53PM1.02m | 11:06AM0.90m | 11:30PM0.70m | ||||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:17 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 3 |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 13 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 13 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | NW 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 14 | WSW 10 | ESE 5 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 7 | E 7 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 |
21 | 755 | 470 | 220 | 137 | 37 | 52 | 40 | 14 | 38 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 135 | 58 | 63 | 57 | 250 | 181 | 201 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 9 | NNW 6 | NW 7 | SSW 15 | W 9 | SSW 14 | SW 9 | SW 9 | W 9 | SSW 13 | W 10 | E 6 | E 5 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
— | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 38 | 6 | 11 | 42 | 14 | 38 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 17 | 50 | 18 | 2 | 51 | 84 | 76 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | W 8 | SSW 14 | W 9 | SW 8 | WNW 11 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | W 11 |
— | — | — | 5 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 38 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | WNW 9 | — | NNE 3 | NNW 4 | NNE 3 | — | E 3 | E 4 | E 5 | ESE 5 | — | ESE 6 | E 7 | — | SW 5 | SW 2 | SSW 8 | — | — | — |
847 | 979 | — | 3 | 12 | 1 | — | 3 | 9 | 18 | 28 | — | 135 | 321 | — | 1 | 1 | 123 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 186 | 531 | 0 | 12 | 90 | 0 | 22 | 23 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 415 | 409 | 399 | 166 | 31 | 20 | 166 | 90 | 25 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Church Cove Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Church Cove provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Church Cove can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Church Cove surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Church Cove) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Church Cove may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in South Cornwall? If you are looking for accommodation near Church Cove, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in South Cornwall, consider staying in The Lizard which is 13 km (8 miles) away. Other places in and around South Cornwall where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Penryn which is 17 km (11 miles) away, Falmouth, Camborne and Penzance.











