Church Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break down the next couple weeks for Church Cove. It’s gonna be a real mixed bag, so don’t get your hopes up too high just yet.

We’re kickin’ off the weekend on the quiet side. Saturday morning (July 25) has some clouds and a cross-shore breeze from the NW at 16 mph, with only 1.0 ft of swell on a short 9-second period. The energy’s weak at 30, and the water is a very unusual 68°, nearly 3° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a real standout – feels more like a warm bath than a typical winter dip. The surf is poor, no two ways about it. Saturday afternoon picks up a touch to 3 ft but with a lumpy cross-chop, still no good.

Sunday the 26th sees a jump in size, but the quality doesn’t follow. Morning has 7 ft of swell with a 7-second period and a fresh 19 mph cross-shore breeze, producing a lumpy mess. The combined energy is moderate at 405. Afternoon holds at 7 ft, period stretching to 8 seconds, wind picking up to 22 mph cross-shore, and energy building to 457 – still all poor conditions. This is expert-only territory if you’re brave, but it’s gonna be a battle.

Monday the 27th is a slight improvement. Morning brings a clean 5 ft swell with a 9-second period and a gentle 9 mph cross-shore wind, energy at 335. The waves have a bit more shape, but the cross-chop is still there. Afternoon drops to 4 ft and turns cross-onshore, choppy. Still not worth paddling out for.

Tuesday the 28th is our first real bright spot. Morning has 3 ft of clean swell from the WNW with a 9-second period, and a light ESE breeze at 6 mph blowing cross-offshore. The energy is moderate at 116 but the conditions are clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Same again in the afternoon with a 9 mph gentle breeze. It’s small, but it’s clean – could be fun on a longboard.

Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th slip back into the doldrums. Swell hovers around 2 ft to 3 ft with short periods, cross-shore and onshore winds, and weak energy. Nothing to get excited about.

Friday the 31st offers a glimmer. Morning has a glassy 3 ft swell with an offshore breeze from the ENE at just 3 mph – that’s clean as a whistle. Energy is low at 75, but the lack of wind makes it look way more appealing than the numbers suggest. Afternoon turns cross-onshore and drops off.

Then we hit a big, quiet gap. Saturday August 1st is tiny – 1 ft or less – and Sunday August 2nd is a monster. Sunday morning has 12 ft of swell from the WSW with a 10-second period, but a strong 25 mph onshore wind. The energy is a massive 2273 – that’s serious power. Afternoon is similar with 12 ft, an 11-second period, and 22 mph onshore wind. This is strictly for big-wave specialists, and with the wind howling onshore, it’s gonna be a washing machine. For anyone else, this is more of a kite surfing setup than a paddle session.

Monday the 3rd through Wednesday the 5th is a slow grind of 3 ft to 5 ft swells, mostly cross-onshore and choppy, with moderate energy. A few small windows of cleaner conditions on Monday morning (4 ft, light wind) but nothing that’ll get your heart racing.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th fade back to small stuff, 1 ft to 4 ft, with cross-shore winds. Not worth the wetsuit.

Now, the end of the forecast is where it gets interesting. Saturday August 8th has a solid 7 ft groundswell from the WSW with a long 10-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the N at 9 mph. The combined energy is strong at 852, and the conditions are clean. This is the standout of the whole window – decent size, clean lines, and a proper groundswell. It’s a bit big for beginners though. Sunday the 9th follows with 7 ft, cross-offshore, and energy at 862, but the period drops to 8 seconds and the wind picks up to 19 mph in the afternoon, so the morning is your best bet.

Overall, it’s a real slow burner. A few small, clean windows early on, one absolute beast of a day for experts only, and then a promising, cleaner weekend at the end. Keep an eye on that August 8th morning – that’s the one worth setting the alarm for.

Rusty.

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