What is the best tide for Church?

Church works best on mid tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.

What swell direction is best for Church?

S–SW suits Church best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.

Is Church good for beginners?

Church suits intermediate surfers, over cobble reef. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.

What is the bottom like at Church?

cobble reef. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Church on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Church Surf Report & Forecast

The southernmost San Onofre peak.

3-4 ftmax ~5 ft

Good · plunging

Modelled on real 10-foot bathymetry. These figures cover size, shape and wind. Whether the wave is makeable comes from the simulation.

Swell: 2.5 ft at 15s from the SSW
Wind: 0 mph SSE cross-shore
Tide: 3.7 ft
Break depth: 6 ft
Power: 5 kW/m
Water: 74°F · trunks

Updated Aug 25, 9:44 PM PDT · 1 swell train · how this is calculated

How Church is breaking right now

Loading Church…

Live · Church, solving nowOpen Church on the map

Solved in your browser from this spot’s seafloor and current swell

What the seafloor does to this wave

A cut straight out from Church, solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.

Why Church looks like this right now

The numbers above, and what each one is actually doing to the wave.

One swell, uncrossed
2.5 ft at 15s from the SSW and nothing significant crossing it.
A single train is the cleanest case there is: the sets arrive from one angle, so the peak should sit in the same place each time instead of wandering. Why period matters more than height →
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 0.95 · 86% of modelled rays break.
Energy arrives roughly as it left deep water: this bottom neither concentrates the swell nor fans it out, so what the buoy sees is close to what you get. Why two breaks a mile apart differ →
Where it trips
3.7 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 6 ft of water.
A wave breaks when the water gets shallow enough relative to its height, so that depth is a contour on the seafloor, and the tide slides the whole break up and down it through the day. Same swell, different spot, a few hours apart. How the tide moves the break →
Barely any wind
0 mph from the SSE, against a shoreline facing 196°.
Too light to shape the face either way. At this speed the wave's own texture wins, whatever the direction.
How the sets come
About one set every 2 min, roughly 10 waves in it.
Swell arrives in groups, not evenly. That spacing is what you are really timing your paddle-out to, and it's why the lineup can look flat for minutes and then produce five waves at once. Why period matters more than height →

Church surf forecast, next seven days

Holding — 2.9–5 ft, no notable swell in the window

Seven-day surf forecast for Church: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	4-5 ft	6am to 9amFair-Good	3.1 ft at 13s SSW	2 mph offshore	Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.1 ft 9amLow 1.7 ft 2pmHigh 5.8 ft 8pm
Thu, Aug 27	3-4 ft	6am to 9amFair-Good	2.8 ft at 10s SSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.3 ft 9amLow 1.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Fri, Aug 28	2-3 ft	1pm to 7pmFair-Good	2.0 ft at 17s SW	6 mph cross-shore	Low -0.3 ft 4amHigh 4.6 ft 10amLow 1.2 ft 3pmHigh 5.6 ft 9pm
Sat, Aug 29	3-4 ft	8am to 5pmFair-Good	2.5 ft at 17s SW	3 mph onshore	Low -0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.8 ft 10amLow 1.0 ft 4pmHigh 5.2 ft 10pm
Sun, Aug 30	3-4 ft	8amFair-Good	2.6 ft at 15s SW	5 mph onshore	Low 0.3 ft 4amHigh 5.1 ft 11amLow 0.9 ft 5pmHigh 4.6 ft 11pm
Mon, Aug 31	3-4 ft	11am to 5pmFair	2.9 ft at 14s SSW	7 mph onshore	Low 0.8 ft 5amHigh 5.2 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 6pmHigh 4.0 ft 11pm
Tue, Sep 1	4-5 ft	11amFair-Good	3.3 ft at 13s SSW	8 mph cross-shore	Low 1.3 ft 5amHigh 5.3 ft 12pmLow 0.9 ft 7pm

Daylight hours only. The best window is the run of hours the model rates highest that day.

How Church works

A mellow cobble peak at the south end of the San Onofre stretch, in the lee of the point — softer than Trestles and usually far emptier.

Bottom: cobble reef
Best tide: mid
Best swell: S–SW
Suits: intermediate

Common questions about Church

What is the best tide for Church?: Church works best on mid tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.
What swell direction is best for Church?: S–SW suits Church best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.
Is Church good for beginners?: Church suits intermediate surfers, over cobble reef. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.
What is the bottom like at Church?: cobble reef. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Church on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

San Onofre (Old Man's) surf report · 3-4 ft
Lower Trestles surf report · 3-4 ft
Upper Trestles surf report · 3-4 ft
Oceanside Pier surf report · 3-4 ft
Ponto (South Carlsbad) surf report · 3-4 ft