Surf Forecasts:
Church surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 14s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 14s period, SSW swell with 1,658 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Church this week:
The surf forecast for Church over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Church in the next 16 days are 2.2m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Church over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, but this time in feet and miles.
Let’s break it down. The first few days are a slow grind – small, crummy waves with a lot of cross-breeze. The water at Church is running 75°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice bonus if you’re paddling out.
The real standout is Sunday, September 6th. Morning through afternoon, we’ve got clean conditions – a light offshore from the NNE, and the swell is pushing 6ft from the south, with a 14-second period. That’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is strong (1446), so you’ll feel the power. Church (this is a beach and point setup) is very consistent and handles SW swell well. With that offshore wind, expect lined-up, hollow waves. This is the best session in the whole 16-day window. Just know it’s always crowded there when it’s good.
Monday the 7th still has size – around 7ft to 7ft from the SSW – but the wind swings cross-onshore from the WNW, and it gets choppy by afternoon. The energy is still high (1532 in the morning), but the quality drops.
From Tuesday the 8th onward, the swell fades and the wind stays mostly cross-onshore or cross-shore. There’s a few days of knee-to-waist high stuff, but the period drops and the waves get weak and messy. By mid-month, the energy drops into the low hundreds (169 to 293) from the 13th to the 16th. A few days around the 17th, 18th, and 19th show a little bump in height and a long period, but the wind is still cross-onshore or onshore, so it’s marginal. Nothing you’d rush out for.
The long story short: Sunday the 6th is your only real standout – clean, solid, and fun. The rest of the window is mostly flat or choppy. It happens here, but forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 20°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Tue afternoon, min 23°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 559 | 620 | 512 | 628 | 1094 | 1382 | 1303 | 702 | 1482 | 1658 | 1143 | 852 | 757 | 495 | 339 | 278 | 419 | 560 | 508 | 483 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 3:06PM1.55m | 6:58AM1.01m | 4:42PM1.62m | 7:24AM1.14m | 5:56PM1.74m | 7:51AM1.26m | 6:54PM1.85m | 8:19AM1.38m | 7:43PM1.91m | 8:47AM1.49m | 8:28PM1.91m | 9:17AM1.59m | 9:10PM1.83m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:34PM0.14m | 10:07AM0.94m | 00:38AM-0.01m | 11:51AM0.84m | 1:25AM-0.13m | 12:54PM0.67m | 2:04AM-0.19m | 1:43PM0.49m | 2:39AM-0.20m | 2:28PM0.34m | 3:11AM-0.15m | 3:10PM0.23m | 3:40AM-0.05m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — |
 | 7:12 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:08 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:02 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 23 |
Feels °C | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 12 | SW 9 |
| kJ | 559 | 620 | 462 | 599 | 1094 | 1382 | 1303 | 702 | 1482 | 1658 | 1143 | 852 | 757 | 495 | 339 | 272 | 419 | 560 | 268 | 198 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | S 14 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 11 | SW 20 | W 11 | SSW 15 | W 10 | — | W 10 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 9 | SW 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 148 | 253 | 512 | 628 | 45 | 15 | 36 | 596 | 17 | — | 8 | 81 | 81 | 129 | 214 | 278 | 113 | 163 | 508 | 483 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | S 10 | W 13 | — | W 12 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | SW 21 | SW 21 | W 4 | SW 20 | W 4 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 78 | 75 | 66 | 70 | 3 | — | 3 | 11 | — | — | — | 18 | 18 | 5 | 97 | 3 | 81 | 72 | 70 | 40 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 10 | WNW 6 | WNW 4 | W 10 | W 3 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 8 | — | — | — | — | 49 | 14 | 9 | 33 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 85 | 0 | 85 | 85 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 85 | 0 | 85 | 85 | 0 | 14 | 36 | 23 | 63 | 85 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Church surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Church Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Church provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Church can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Church 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) 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 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.
Church is 7 km (4 miles) from San Clemente. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in San Clemente. San Clemente has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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