Surf Forecasts:
Church surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 17s period, SSW swell with 807 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period with SW 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 (Aug 11) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Church in the next 16 days are 1.2m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Church over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.
Straight up, this is a tough stretch. We’ve got a long run of poor surf conditions ahead, so don’t be expectin’ much. The first real chance to even talk about wetting a line doesn’t show up until Thursday the 13th, and even then it’s marginal. The water’s a scorcher – 74°F – which is a whopping 7°F warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s way out of the ordinary, feels like a bath.
The swell direction is mostly SSW to SW, and the period is long, often 16 seconds or more, which is a proper groundswell. That kind of long-period energy is best suited for a point or reef, not a beach break. The problem is the wind. Nearly every session is a cross-on or onshore breeze, 6 to 9 mph, and that’s wreckin’ the surface. The combined energy figures are moderate, hitting values like 340, 475, and even up to 683, but it’s all wasted on choppy, messy conditions.
For the best of a bad lot, I’d point you to Church – a beach and point setup that’s exposed to the swell. It’s a very consistent spot, but it’s always crowded, so expect company. The standout window is looking like Thursday the 13th evening through to Saturday the 15th. The swell is small, around 2ft to 3ft, with a long period of 16 to 18 seconds. The wind is light and onshore, but it’s the cleanest of the bunch. The energy is moderate (340 to 718), but don’t get your hopes up – it’s still marginal at best.
After that, it’s back to poor surf with cross-on winds and little change. The 16-day window is patchy, with a gap of several days between Thursday the 13th and the next marginal window around Tuesday the 25th. That’s a long wait. For an advanced spot like this, you’ll need to pick your moment carefully.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue morning, min 19°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 95 | 252 | 316 | 195 | 264 | 306 | 255 | 358 | 280 | 302 | 404 | 807 | 417 | 683 | 666 | 551 | 443 | 482 | 367 | 301 | 261 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:21AM1.31m | 8:37PM2.07m | 9:55AM1.40m | 9:22PM2.03m | 10:28AM1.47m | 10:06PM1.92m | 11:02AM1.53m | 10:48PM1.74m | 11:37AM1.55m | 11:31PM1.52m | 12:11PM1.55m | 00:18AM1.28m | 12:47PM1.51m | 1:15AM1.05m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:30PM0.50m | 3:44AM-0.35m | 3:17PM0.40m | 4:19AM-0.29m | 4:04PM0.34m | 4:52AM-0.17m | 4:50PM0.32m | 5:23AM-0.01m | 5:38PM0.33m | 5:51AM0.17m | 6:30PM0.37m | 6:17AM0.37m | 7:30PM0.43m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 22 |
Feels °C | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 95 | 252 | 316 | 195 | 264 | 306 | 255 | 358 | 280 | 217 | 404 | 807 | 417 | 683 | 666 | 551 | 443 | 482 | 367 | 301 | 261 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 13 | SSW 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 18 | SW 14 | W 4 | SW 14 | S 11 | W 5 | S 10 | SW 10 | W 5 | WSW 12 | SSW 18 | W 6 |
| kJ | 75 | 83 | 55 | 42 | 61 | 35 | 62 | 61 | 51 | 302 | 214 | 5 | 191 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 63 | 30 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SW 12 | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | SSW 9 | SSW 11 | S 12 | W 5 | W 11 | S 11 | SW 10 | S 10 | WSW 13 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 51 | 75 | 44 | 44 | 49 | 27 | 23 | 44 | 149 | 16 | 65 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 40 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 3 | WNW 12 | — | W 3 | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | W 5 | W 5 | — | W 5 | W 5 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 28 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | 13 | 13 | — | 13 | 18 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 85 | 85 | 0 | 85 | 85 | 0 | 85 | 85 | 0 | 85 | 85 | 0 | 85 | 85 | 48 | 85 | 85 | 68 | 85 | 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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