Surf Forecasts:
Church Cove surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, WNW swell with 1,060 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s 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 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 9s 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 2.5m 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 0.9m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Church Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. It's Rusty here, and I've got to be straight with you—this next stretch is looking pretty grim for Church Cove. We've got a solid 16-day window, but the surf is just not cooperating. It's one of those runs where you're better off waxing your board for the next round.
Let's start with the water. Right now, the water temp is sitting at 66°F, which is about a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Not a game changer, but worth noting if you're a wetsuit nut.
The first real chance of anything surfable doesn't even roll around until Thursday, the 31st of August, and even then it's a maybe. The swell will be up to 10 ft out of the west, with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is a hefty 1796. That's serious, strong energy. But the problem is the wind: a fresh cross-shore from the northwest, and the forecast is for lumpy, cross-chop conditions. It's only scoring a 1 out of 10, and it's described as "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions." That's not a recommendation, that's a warning. This kind of size and wind makes it a tough paddle, and only for the experienced crew. Honestly, with that much swell and cross-shore wind, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The rest of the window is a desert. The week before that is all tiny, weak, or flat. We're talking bare 0.7 ft to 2 ft days with periods that are either too short or too long, and the wind is rarely on your side. Church Cove is an inconsistent break, and this stretch proves it. The entire finder file only shows a couple of days (the 31st of August and 1st of September) that even get a score of 1, and everything else is a zero. There's a stretch of about 10 days from the 19th to the 30th of August where there's nothing worth mentioning.
So, the long and short of it: no standout days, no clean windows with good swell. We've got a long wait ahead. The one session on the 31st of August is the closest thing to a pulse, but it's messy, big, and clean only for the brave. Keep your eye on the charts, because this area tends to turn around, but for now, save your energy.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Wed night, light winds from the NNE by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the ENE by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 9 | WSW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 9 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
259 | 470 | 601 | 865 | 1060 | 529 | 215 | 115 | 73 | 36 | 26 | 42 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 33 | 138 | 318 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | off | off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 10:10PM3.84m | 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 | |||||||||
Low Tide | 4:23PM1.01m | 4:44AM1.18m | 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 | ||||||||
6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
— | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:20 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 | W 9 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | WSW 9 | ESE 5 | ESE 6 | E 6 | W 10 | W 9 |
259 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 828 | 529 | 215 | 115 | 73 | 29 | 16 | 24 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 25 | 50 | 16 | 138 | 318 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | — | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NW 8 | W 9 | NNW 6 | WNW 6 | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 10 | E 6 | E 5 |
24 | — | — | — | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 28 | 36 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 33 | 11 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 7 | WSW 9 | SSW 15 | NNW 5 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | NW 4 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 8 | SSW 13 | SW 13 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 10 | 24 | 10 | 26 | 42 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 1 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 10 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 9 | — | N 3 | NNW 4 | N 3 | — | — | N 5 | E 4 | — | N 3 | E 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 470 | 601 | 865 | 1060 | — | 5 | 16 | 2 | — | — | 13 | 2 | — | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 192 | 190 | 531 | 191 | 189 | 12 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 95 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 401 | 10 | 312 | 429 | 232 | 28 | 166 | 0 |
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.











