Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with the outlook for Block Island.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one to call. Looking over the next two and a bit weeks, it’s a pretty bleak picture for getting a decent wave. The guidance tells me this spot rarely breaks as it is, and the forecast is living up to that reputation. We’ve got a long, dry stretch ahead. The first 16 days are a write-off for anything even vaguely rideable. There’s no standout session in the whole period, so I can't point you to a "best" day, because there simply isn't one. It’s all poor surf conditions across the board.

We start on Friday, July 3rd, with a meager 3ft of swell from the SW, but the period is a short, weak 6 seconds. The combined energy is a feeble 112, and with a cross-off wind, it’s just not doing anything. This theme just keeps repeating. Through the first week, from July 3rd to July 8th, you’ll see little bumps of swell, but the periods are short and the winds are mostly cross or onshore. The maximum energy we see in this first week is only 169 on Wednesday the 8th, which is still weak. The first break I’m looking at here is just a point break that’s exposed to the swell, but with these tiny, short-period waves and messy winds, it's just not coming together.

On Tuesday, July 7th, we get a brief moment of glassy conditions in the morning, with a light SSE breeze, but the swell is only 4ft and the period is a shocking 4 seconds. That's pure wind chop. Even with the glassy surface, there's no power.

Into the second week, the swell energy does pick up a touch. On Monday, July 13th afternoon, we see wave heights hit 5ft from the SSW, and the combined energy jumps to 399 (moderate energy). But it comes with a strong, cross-on wind and a lumpy, choppy surface. That setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddler, honestly. Wednesday, July 15th afternoon sees 6ft from the SSW, the biggest of the whole run, with energy of 213, but again, a moderate cross-onshore wind messes things up. The slightly bigger swell is still paired with a short, weak period of 6 to 9 seconds, never developing into proper groundswell.

The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there. But the lack of any long-period swell, combined with the poor wind directions and the fact this break rarely breaks, just makes for a long blank run. It's one of those spells where leaving the boards in the car is the smart move. Forecasts can change, but right now, I wouldn't waste the gas.

Rusty, signing off.

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