Surf Forecasts:
Church surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 14s period, SSW swell with 1,363 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s 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 Tuesday (Sep 08) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Church in the next 16 days are 1.8m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Church over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Yo, Rusty here. Let's get the lowdown on the next couple of weeks, the way we talk about it.
We're gonna start with a bit of a wait, I'm not gonna lie. The first real chance to get wet doesn't come around until Wednesday, the 9th of September. Before that, the wind is a mess and conditions are just plain ugly. So, we've got a few days of nothing to sit through.
Alright, Wednesday morning, the 9th, we finally get a window. The swell is tiny, only 2ft, but it's a beautiful, long-period SW groundswell at 16 seconds. The wind has gone completely glassy, which is a magic thing. The wave energy is weak (417), but that clean, glassy surface will make even these small waves feel like silk. The Wednesday afternoon session is looking similar, just a touch bigger at 2ft. It's not going to be a big-wave day, but for a quiet, clean paddle, this is the standout. The water temp is 74°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than normal – that's very unusual for this time of year, so you might want to leave the 5/4 at home.
The rest of the first week gets messy again. Thursday, the 10th, has a bit more size at 3ft with a lovely 17-second period, but the wind is onshore, making it choppy. Friday and Saturday are the same story – clean swell is ruined by the wind. The only other thing peeking through is a bit of a pulse on Monday, the 21st of September. That's a long way off, so don't get your hopes up, but it shows 4ft of SW swell and the wind is looking light. It's a promising, but uncertain, late-season hope.
Overall, the best bet is that Wednesday, the 9th. It's not for the crowd or the power, but for the pure, clean, glassy conditions. If you're a beginner, those 2ft waves are perfect, and the long period will make the paddle out easy. For the rest of the time, it's a waiting game. The crowds at Church are always a thing, but on a small, glassy Wednesday, you might find a bit of space.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Tue morning, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 21°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 737 | 679 | 1025 | 986 | 455 | 560 | 232 | 148 | 214 | 278 | 419 | 553 | 502 | 483 | 400 | 360 | 309 | 248 | 164 | 160 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 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 | 9:46AM1.66m | 9:50PM1.71m | 10:15AM1.70m | 10:31PM1.55m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 3:52PM0.16m | 4:08AM0.08m | 4:33PM0.14m | 4:33AM0.24m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | 7:08 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 |
Feels °C | 26 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 737 | 679 | 1025 | 986 | 455 | 560 | 232 | 148 | 70 | 278 | 419 | 553 | 502 | 483 | 400 | 360 | 309 | 50 | 33 | 160 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | SW 8 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 6 |
| kJ | 525 | 505 | 58 | 55 | 236 | 111 | 154 | 135 | 133 | 67 | 82 | 34 | 16 | 55 | 63 | 32 | 36 | 248 | 164 | 27 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 12 | — | WSW 10 | — | WNW 4 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 8 | S 12 | SW 8 | SW 7 | SW 7 | SW 6 | S 10 | S 9 | SW 18 | S 9 |
| kJ | 3 | — | 9 | — | 6 | 42 | 112 | 130 | 214 | 86 | 25 | 72 | 23 | 19 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 48 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 45 | 38 | 6 | 7 | — | 8 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 14 | 33 | 14 | 85 | 14 | 85 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 85 | 85 | 63 | 63 | 90 | 16 | 84 | 239 | 2 |
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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