Surf Forecasts:
Church surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 31 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 14s period, S swell with 1,663 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Sunday (Jul 26) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Church in the next 16 days are 2.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) at 5AM. 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+) | 8PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Fri 31st Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Church over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. Church (beach and point) is the only game in town, and frankly, it’s not looking great for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a solid, long-period groundswell on the way, but there’s a major caveat: the wind is almost always onshore, blowing from the SW or SSW right into the swell direction. This thing is exposed, so it’s going to be messy.
Right off the bat, Sunday the 26th of July, we’ve got chest-high swell at 4ft coming from the SW with a very long 19-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy is moderate at 941. But the wind is onshore from the SW at 6 mph, so it’s going to be bumpy. The water is running at 71°, which is 4° warmer than average – pretty unusual for this time of year. That's a nice touch for a session, but the surf itself is marginal. Honestly, with that wind direction and the exposed setup, this might be more interesting on a kite than a paddleboard.
Monday the 27th is a similar story – 4ft to 4ft, rock-solid 18-second period from the SSW, and moderate wave energy (1131 in the morning). But again, the wind is onshore. It’s clean-looking sky, but the surface will have that onshore texture.
The pick of a poor bunch looks like Thursday the 30th of July into Friday the 31st. Thursday morning has 6ft from the S with a 14-second period and very strong energy (1176). Wind is light and onshore from the SW at 6 mph. Still onshore, but at that light strength it might just be lumpy rather than unsurfable. Friday morning bumps up to 6ft from the SSW, with energy at 1391. That’s a big, powerful swell, but the period drops to 14 seconds. For a spot like Church, that size is expert territory and the onshore wind will mean it’s a bit of a beast.
After that, it drops off hard. We go from 5ft on Saturday the 1st of August down to 3ft on Sunday the 2nd, and then it’s basically flat for a long stretch. From the 2nd of August right through to the 10th of August, there’s a dead run of tiny, weak, or poor surf. Wave energy plummets to under 300, and swell heights hover between 1ft and 3ft. The period gets long again – up to 21 seconds on the 6th – but the swell is tiny and the wind stays cross-onshore. Not worth paddling out.
Overall, if you’re desperate, the Thursday 30th and Friday 31st are your best bets, but be ready for big, onshore, expert-only waves. After that, put the board away for a solid week or more. This looks like a normal blank run for the area.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sun morning, min 21°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed morning, min 21°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 16 | S 14 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SSW 14 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 863 | 743 | 719 | 1056 | 893 | 771 | 1009 | 1020 | 818 | 612 | 733 | 683 | 1163 | 775 | 1525 | 1367 | 1034 | 915 | 645 | 585 | 202 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | on | on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:12AM1.07m | 7:47PM1.70m | 9:35AM1.11m | 8:23PM1.76m | 9:59AM1.15m | 8:55PM1.80m | 10:24AM1.19m | 9:27PM1.80m | 10:49AM1.24m | 9:59PM1.76m | 11:17AM1.29m | 10:31PM1.68m | 11:45AM1.34m | 11:06PM1.55m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:32PM0.78m | 3:13AM-0.08m | 2:10PM0.72m | 3:42AM-0.12m | 2:46PM0.66m | 4:09AM-0.14m | 3:21PM0.61m | 4:36AM-0.13m | 3:58PM0.58m | 5:03AM-0.09m | 4:35PM0.55m | 5:29AM-0.02m | 5:17PM0.54m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 |
Feels °C | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 16 | S 14 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SSW 14 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 863 | 743 | 719 | 1056 | 893 | 771 | 1009 | 1020 | 818 | 612 | 733 | 683 | 1163 | 775 | 1525 | 1367 | 1034 | 915 | 645 | 585 | 202 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | S 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSW 16 | W 6 | S 13 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 33 | 21 | 15 | 54 | 37 | 34 | 62 | 33 | 134 | 225 | 215 | 499 | 13 | 411 | 27 | 24 | 12 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 142 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 11 | S 11 | SW 12 | S 8 | S 10 | SSE 18 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | — | W 7 | — | — | — | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | W 6 |
| kJ | 45 | 25 | 40 | 21 | 37 | 6 | 9 | 64 | 22 | 34 | 22 | 12 | — | 14 | — | — | — | 18 | 15 | 15 | 18 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 80 | 131 | 63 | 63 | 145 | 2 | 84 | 84 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 26 | 90 | 85 | 0 | 85 | 85 | 0 | 84 | 85 | 26 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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