Church Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's look at what's cooking for Church Cove over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it's a rough start. The first recommendation doesn't pop up until Thursday the 22nd of September, so we're looking at a solid gap of nearly two weeks with no real surf on offer. Before that, it's a whole lot of nothing – poor conditions, onshore winds, and choppy lineups. There's some moderate energy in the water, like on the 13th with 608 of combined energy, but it's all wrecked by messy cross-onshore breezes. The water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 64°, but that's small consolation when the surf is blown out.

From the 15th to the 21st, we see more of the same: fresh breezes, lumpy cross-shore sets, and mostly poor conditions. There's a bit of a tease on the 16th with clean conditions and 714 of combined energy, but the forecast still calls it marginal. It's not worth paddling out for.

Now, the light at the end of the tunnel. The real standouts are on the 22nd and 23rd of September.

Tuesday the 22nd of September is the first true window. In the morning, a clean 2 ft swell from the west with a very long 15-second period rolls in. The wind is light offshore from the ENE (10 km/h), and conditions are clean. The combined energy is 386, which is moderate. This long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely here at Church Cove, a fairly exposed southwest-facing break. It's an inconsistent spot, so you've got to be patient, but when she comes, the shape will be there. The afternoon goes glassy with a 4 ft west swell at 13 seconds and 440 of combined energy. This is the pick of the trip – clean, offshore, and no crowds to speak of. This is a beginner to intermediate friendly size, too.

Wednesday the 23rd of September gets exciting. The morning jumps to 7 ft from the west, 7-second period, with clean offshore cross-off winds from the ESE. The combined energy is 614 (moderate). That's a bit more push, but still manageable for intermediate surfers. But the afternoon... that's the big one. A 10 ft west swell with a 10-second period rolls in, with a combined energy of 1548 (strong). The winds are still clean and cross-off from the ESE (15 km/h). This is expert territory. At 10 ft, this is not for the faint of heart. The long period and steep face will be intense, especially for an inconsistent spot like this. If you're skilled and hungry, that afternoon window is the standout of the whole 16-day run.

Thursday the 24th still has solid size at 8 ft in the morning, dropping to 7 ft by the afternoon, both with cross-off winds. Energy is very strong (1813 and 1120), but it's still a heavy, expert-only wave. After that, it tapers off pretty quickly through the 25th.

So, to sum it up: Don't bother before the 22nd. The glory days are the 22nd, and the standout session is the afternoon of the 23rd for the big dogs.

Rusty

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