Church Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Church Cove.

Honestly, for the next week and a half, it’s a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a whole lot of wind and messy conditions to sit through before things start looking interesting. The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until Monday, September 7th, and even that takes a bit of patience. The wait is real, but it might just be worth it.

Starting off this Saturday, August 29th, it’s a no-go. We’ve got a risk of thunderstorms and a strong onshore wind from the SW at 25 mph pushing into a 8 ft SW swell. Combined wave energy is 780, which is moderate, but the quality is poor. That wind just kills it. The water’s sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Sunday and Monday don’t offer any relief either, with more onshore wind, fresh breezes, and lumpy, cross-onshore chop. There’s a 10 ft swell on Monday morning from the W with a 9-second period, but the cross-shore wind from the NW at 19 mph just chops it up. Not worth paddling out.

We’ve got a solid run of poor conditions through the first week of September. Wind stays onshore or cross-on, swell periods are short, and the wave energy is moderate at best. The whole setup is better left for another day.

Then, finally, on Monday, September 7th, we get a shift. The morning sees a light rain, but the wind goes glassy from the E at just 3 mph. We’ve got a 7 ft W swell with an 11-second period, and the combined wave energy is a strong 1119. The water temp details aren’t given for this period, but the wind is glassy – that’s a major positive. It’ll be clean. That afternoon, the wind swings NE at 16 mph, going offshore, and the swell holds at 6 ft with the same long period. This is your standout. It’s not huge, but clean, lined-up waves on a long-period groundswell? That’s the kind of session you wait for. Just know that Church Cove is inconsistent, so you’ve got to pick your moment. Crowds are a possibility here sometimes, but on a Monday, you might get lucky.

After that, the energy drops off again through Tuesday and Wednesday. We get a 8 ft to 10 ft spike from the WSW around Thursday and Friday, September 10th and 11th, with a very long 14-second period on the Friday morning. That’s a big, powerful groundswell – wave energy hits 4625, which is very strong. But the wind is a light cross-on from the S at 6 mph. The break is fairly exposed to the swell, so there’ll be plenty of size, but the cross-on element keeps it from being perfect. It’s a marginal call, more for experienced surfers given the size and power. Saturday, September 12th, sees a drop-off, but Sunday morning, September 13th, looks promising again with glassy conditions from the WSW and a 6 ft, 10-second swell. Clean again, but more of a fun-sized wave.

So, to cut it short: the first week is a write-off with strong winds and messy surf. The best bet is Monday, September 7th – glassy morning, offshore afternoon, with a solid, clean groundswell. The second standout is Friday, September 11th, for the big, powerful swell, but it’s for the experienced crew only. Keep an eye on the glassy Sunday morning on the 13th too.

That’s the long and short of it. Keep your eyes on the forecast – it can change. Rusty.

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