Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what we’ve got on the radar. Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, it’s a bit of a tough stretch for us. The first week and a half is pretty grim, with a lot of waiting. We don't see anything good until the very end, and even then, it’s not a full-blown classic.

Alright, let's start from the beginning. For almost the entire period from Tuesday, August 18th, right through to Friday, August 28th, the surf is basically a no-go. That’s about ten days of flat, messy, or windy junk. We’ve got a few tiny bumps here and there, but nothing worth paddling out for.

The first sign of life arrives on Friday, August 28th. The morning session at Block Island is actually looking like the standout of the whole forecast. We’ve got a solid 5 ft swell coming from the south with a period of 8 seconds. The combined swell energy is decent, clocking in at 318 (moderate energy). The real kicker here is the wind—offshore from the north at 19 mi/h. That’s going to groom it into clean, lined-up waves. This swell is right on the edge of being a bit much for beginners, so if you're learning, maybe sit this one out, but for intermediates and up, this is the window to be in the water. Remember, it's a point break that rarely breaks, so the fact it's showing up is special. The water temp is 70°F, which is just about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The afternoon on the 28th gets a bit sloppy with a cross-onshore wind, but the following morning, Saturday, August 29th, is another good look. We’ve got a slightly smaller south swell, 4 ft (period 7 seconds), with clean offshore winds from the north again at 16 mi/h (212 combined energy). It’s a bit smaller, but still clean and punchy.

That Saturday afternoon, we get a moment of pure magic – glassy conditions with a 4 ft swell from the SSW (183 combined energy). It’s not the biggest, but when it goes glassy like that at a rare-breaking point, you don’t even think twice. That's your "slip out after work" moment.

After that, from Sunday the 30th onward, we slip back into the doldrums with tiny, weak waves and onshore winds. The very end of the forecast, into the first few days of September, shows some more energy, but the wind is mostly terrible from the east, so don’t get your hopes up just yet.

So, to wrap it up: sit tight until the end of the month. Your two real shots are Friday morning, August 28th, and the glassy window on Saturday afternoon, August 29th. The rest of the time, the board stays in the car.

Rusty.

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