Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is a real tough one to call. Block Island is lookin’ at a long, long stretch of flatness or just plain messy conditions. The boys up there aren't gonna be stoked.

We’ve got a solid blank run from now until the morning of Friday, August 21st. That’s over a week of the ocean just not giving us anything worth paddling out for. The wind is a constant problem – mostly cross-on or cross, and on the few mornings it’s offshore, the swell is tiny, like 2 ft. It’s just not happening.

The real heartbreaker is Monday, August 17th. There’s a bit of a pulse, with a 4 ft SSW swell and clean, cross-off morning winds from the WNW. The combined energy hits 121 (moderate), but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s gonna be weak and gutless. Still, it’s the cleanest we’ll see in a while.

Then we get another flat spell until the morning of Friday, August 21st. That’s when things finally get interesting. Offshore winds from the NW, clean as a whistle, and a 6 ft SSW swell. The energy jumps to 298 (strong), but the period is still only 7 seconds. That’s a bit of a letdown because it’ll be a bit soft and won’t have that long-period punch. It’s a decent swell, but not a classic Block Island groundswell. For the experienced crew, this is the window. For a beginner, 6 ft with a short period can be a handful.

The next morning, Saturday, August 22nd, is a total tease. We’ve got 2 ft and glassy conditions from the ENE. It’s beautiful, but there’s no power. You’d be bobbing around for nothing.

The standout, if you can call it that, is more of a promise. Wednesday, August 26th. The morning shows a 7 ft E swell with an 8-second period and clean cross-off winds from the NNE. The combined energy is a massive 485 (very strong). This is proper swell. 7 ft is big, too big for beginners, and this is squarely in the expert zone. The problem is the wind shifts in the afternoon to a cross-on ESE, which will chop it up. But that morning? That’s the one. It’s rare that Block Island fires, and when it does, it’s a special place. The only downside is that the swell is from the E, which is not the optimum SE direction for the point, but with that much energy, it’ll bend in. Just be prepared for some serious water moving around.

The 27th keeps some size, but it’s on the decline and the wind is a problem again.

Bottom line: We’ve got a week of waiting, then a couple of raw, punchy days at the end of the month. The 21st is the cleanest, but the 26th morning has the muscle. It’s a waiting game.

Rusty

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