Church Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, look. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s been a rough stretch and it’s about to get worse before it gets any better. There are no good surf options in this 16-day window for us. The only break on offer is Church Cove, and while the ocean is trying to throw some size at us, the wind and quality just aren’t cooperating.

Right now, it’s Monday the 17th with a 3 ft west swell at a short 8 seconds, but that 16 mph cross-on wind is ruining it. Choppy and messy. Water temp is 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year. Tuesday and Wednesday push the swell up to 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind stays cross-on from the west at 16-19 mph. Clean surf is nowhere to be found.

By Thursday the 20th, we’ve got a 7 ft west swell (combined energy 648-720), which is moderate wave energy, but it’s cross-shore wind at 19 mph – lumpy cross-chop. Not the wave we want.

Then we have a gap of several days. Friday the 21st morning finally gives us a brief moment of hope: 3 ft west swell with a light offshore from the NE at only 6 mph. Clean conditions, but the swell is small and the waves are ordinary. It’s surfable but nothing to get excited about. From Saturday the 22nd right through to Monday the 25th morning, the swell drops to nothing – 0.7 ft to 1 ft. Glassy conditions on the 24th, but with a 0.7 ft SSW groundswell at 14 seconds – long period but tiny. That’s a lake, not a surf.

Tuesday the 25th morning picks up again with a 3 ft west swell and 16 mph cross-on wind. It’s choppy and poor. Wednesday the 26th sees 5 ft to 5 ft west-southwest swell, but the wind is howling at 22-25 mph, creating a messy cross-shore chop. Honestly, at this point, with that much wind and lumpy conditions, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Thursday the 27th is still cross-shore and choppy. Friday the 28th hits 8 ft to 8 ft from the WSW at 19 mph onshore. That’s too big for beginners and only for experts, but the onshore wind makes it a real battle. Saturday the 29th morning clean again with a 8 ft WSW swell (combined energy 880) and a cross-offshore wind – clean, but it’s a big, powerful swell. Could be a standout for experts who don’t mind the size. The rest of the weekend through to September 1st is all onshore wind, with the swell climbing to 10 ft by Tuesday the 1st of September – a very long period groundswell at 12 seconds (combined energy 2267). That’s strong wave energy, but with 19 mph onshore wind, it’s just a washing machine.

There’s a long gap of almost a week with no real recommendation. Church Cove is inconsistent and rarely breaks well, and this forecast shows why. It tends not to stay poor for long, but right now, we're in a dry spell.

Rusty.

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