Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and messy surf on the menu, with only a glimmer of something better way down the line.

For the first week, from the 16th to the 22nd, we’re looking at surf that’s barely breaking. Mostly in that 1ft to 4ft range, with periods under 8 seconds, so it’s just choppy and disjointed. The wind is all over the place, mostly cross or onshore, chopping it up. The energy is weak, with readings mostly in the 20s to 130s, which tells you there’s just nothing out there. There are a few mornings, like the 18th and 20th, where it cleans up with some offshore wind, but the swell is just too small and weak to be worth the paddle. This is a classic case of "better to stay on land."

We slide into another quiet spell for the 23rd and 24th. Still puny surf, still poor conditions. There’s a hint of a longer period swell on the 24th (11 seconds), but it’s tiny. Honestly, the whole first week and a half is a write-off.

Now, here’s the one glimmer of hope, and it’s a long way off. On Wednesday, August 26th, we finally see the energy jump. The morning shows a 4ft SW swell with a 7-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 202, which is moderate. It’s still not perfect, with an onshore wind, but after a week of nothing, this is the most interesting thing on the board. It will be bigger, but that short period will keep it unruly. Still, it’s something.

The rest of that week stays inconsistent. There’s some cleaner windows on the 28th with a 10-second period swell, but it’s only 2ft. We also see some bigger, longer-period energy (11 seconds) on the 27th, but it’s not big enough to make real use of it, and the wind isn't cooperating.

So, to cut a long story short: don't get excited about the next two weeks. The only thing with any sort of pulse is that Wednesday the 26th, but it’s a week and a half out, so treat it as promising, not a guarantee. Everything else is flat, small, and junky. The water temp is right around 72°, which is dead on average for this time of year.

Stay patient, keep the board in the car, but maybe leave the wetsuit at home for a bit.

Rusty

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