Church Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on offer for Church over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch ahead. The groundswell is there, with some decent energy readings, but the wind is just not playing ball for most of the run. The swell is coming from the SSW, which is the optimum direction, but a persistent cross-onshore breeze is going to keep things messy. The water is sitting at a toasty 68°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

We start off Thursday, July 2nd, and it's a bit of a write-off. We've got a long-period SSW groundswell coming in at 3 ft with a 16-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 378. The wind, however, is onshore from the WSW at 6 mph, so it’s not clean. It stays poor through Thursday afternoon, and that same story of marginal, messy conditions continues right through Friday and Saturday, July 3rd and 4th. The swell hangs around 3-3 ft with those long SSW periods, but the wind is always on it.

There’s a glimmer of hope on Sunday morning, July 5th. It’s still marginal, but the wind does swing around to a light WSW breeze. The swell is 3 ft from the SSW at that very long 18-second period. The energy is moderate at 517. It’s worth a look if you're desperate, but the tide could be a factor. The rest of that week stays in that marginal category, with wind and tide making it tough.

Now, by Tuesday, July 7th, the swell actually builds a bit. Tuesday afternoon sees 3 ft of SSW swell, and the energy jumps to a strong 881. But the wind is onshore straight from the SW at 6 mph, so it’s still going to be bumpy. That bigger, long-period groundswell (18 seconds) might offer a few better-shaped waves, but it’s not going to be the clean session we’re all chasing.

After July 10th, the swell starts to drop off, and the energy readings fade from the 400s down into the 200s. The winds stay cross-onshore or onshore, and the wave heights drop under 3 ft. The second week, from July 13th onward, is looking very poor. The swell drops to 1 ft to 2 ft with short to moderate periods. The energy is weak (205-282), and combined with the poor wind, there’s just nothing to get excited about.

The best bet in this whole window is Tuesday, July 7th afternoon. The swell hits 3 ft from the SSW, combined energy is 881, and the period is a very long 18 seconds. The wind is light and onshore from the SW at 6 mph. It’s not perfect, but that groundswell will have some push. For an advanced break like Church, the long period will help shape the wave, but that onshore wind will still put a bit of a bump on it. If you can deal with a bit of texture, that’s your window. After that, it’s a long stretch of small, weak, and poor surf.

Rusty

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