Church Cove Surf Break

Lat Long: 50.04° N 5.27° W

Church Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 20 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Church Cove sea temperature is
18.9° C
1.8° 

Church Cove surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


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 2.2m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 1PM.

Wave TypeTime (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, surfers, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty average for our stretch of coast, with only a couple of moments that might get the heart racing. We've got a lot of lumpy, cross-shore slop to wade through before we see anything clean.

The first real chance for a wave comes this Thursday morning, the 20th. There's some solid swell in the water, around 7ft, but it's coming from the west with a fresh 19 mph cross-breeze that's just going to chop it all up. It's got some moderate energy to it (813), but it's going to be a fight. The afternoon bumps up a bit to 8ft, but the wind is still on it, making it a bit of a mess. Nothing worth getting too excited about, just a lot of water moving around.

We're then looking at a bit of a drought. Friday sees the swell drop right off, and the wind goes cross-offshore, but the waves just get too small. Saturday is similar, with clean conditions but tiny, weak surf – a real tease. Then from Sunday the 23rd through to Tuesday the 26th, the swell just about dies. We're talking ankle-snappers with hardly any energy behind them (the combined energy is in the weak 30-100 range). There are some clean mornings in there, but with essentially nothing to ride, it's not worth paddling out for. That's a solid four-day stretch of flatness to get through.

Things finally start to wake up on Wednesday the 26th. A new SW swell fills in, but the wind swings onshore and it gets lumpy and poor. The energy is moderate (556), but it's just not organised. Thursday the 27th has a little bit of swell (4ft) but the onshore wind continues to ruin it. By Friday the 28th, the wind is howling from the west, ramping up to a near gale in the afternoon with heavy rain. The waves are there, around 7ft, but it will be completely blown out. That looks far more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

Now, for the one true standout in this whole period. Check out the forecast for Saturday morning, the 29th. We're looking at 8ft of west-northwest swell with a fresh cross-shore breeze. Now, the wind isn't perfect, but the size and energy (1528 – a big step up) should make Church Cove (this is our Region_URL) start to show its character. It's a long period swell of 8 seconds, so it's not a groundswell, but the size will be there. The morning session is the one to target before the wind shifts more onshore in the afternoon and the size drops. Remember, this spot is inconsistent, so when it does get a pulse like this, it can be worth the wait. With 8ft, this is only for experienced surfers; it's too much for beginners.

After that burst, the swell backs off a bit for the following week, but the winds stay messy. There's a bigger pulse scheduled for the morning of Monday, the 31st, with 12ft of west swell and strong energy (2834), but the wind is howling straight onshore at 19 mph. That's a full-on, expert-only, blown-out mess. We get a cleaner shot on Tuesday morning, the 1st of September, with the swell dropping to 6ft and a gentle cross-shore breeze. It won't be epic, but it looks like the most rideable option in that second week. The rest of that week just trails off into smaller, wind-affected surf.

So, to sum it up: the standout window is early Saturday morning, the 29th, for the bigger, more powerful swell. If that doesn't materialise, the best of a bad bunch looks like Tuesday morning, the 1st of September, when the wind finally eases. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or too blown out. It's a waiting game.

Rusty, out.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed night, 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 Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Sat night, strong winds from the E by Mon 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
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.2
W
9
2.4
WNW
9
1.6
W
10
1.2
W
9
1
W
8
0.6
NW
8
0.6
W
9
0.4
WSW
9
0.3
SSW
15
0.3
SSW
14
0.3
SSW
14
0.3
SSW
14
0.2
SSW
14
0.3
SW
9
0.2
SSW
13
0.3
WNW
10
0.6
SSW
9
1.2
SW
8
2
SW
8
1.4
SSW
8
1.4
W
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
792
979
470
215
137
50
52
26
42
38
38
39
18
17
17
20
54
196
553
257
416
Wind (km/h)
30
WNW
30
NW
15
N
20
N
25
NNW
15
N
15
ENE
20
ESE
15
NE
20
E
20
ESE
20
NE
40
E
45
E
45
E
25
ESE
25
SSE
20
SSW
30
S
25
SSW
5
WNW
Wind State
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
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
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
11:06AM0.90m
11:30PM0.70m
clear
part cloud
clear
mod rain
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:16
6:18
6:20
6:20
6:22
6:24
6:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:30
8:29
8:27
8:24
8:22
8:20
8:17
 mm
7
1
1
4
2
6
2
Temp °C
18
17
16
15
16
14
18
18
18
18
19
19
19
19
19
20
19
18
19
19
17
Feels °C
12
11
13
12
11
10
14
14
15
14
16
15
11
11
11
18
17
16
15
16
15
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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