Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Block Island’s got cooking for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. The finder didn’t serve up a single recommendation across the entire 16 days, which tells you all you need to know about the quality on offer. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that kind of run can happen when the swell and wind just won’t line up.

The overall pattern is pretty grim. We’ve got a mix of small, weak swell and a lot of cross-onshore or messy wind. The water temp at the start is sitting at 66° which is about 3° colder than normal for this time of year – definitely on the nippy side, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.

Let’s walk through it chronologically. The first surf we see is on Sunday, July 12th afternoon, but it’s a total dud. We’re looking at a tiny 2ft swell from the south, period of just 7 seconds, with an onshore breeze. The combined energy is only 36 – that’s weak, barely a ripple. The call is “poor surf conditions,” and I’m not paddling out for that.

Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th are much the same story. Small, weak swells, a bit of cross-onshore wind, and everything tagged as poor. On Tuesday afternoon, the swell bumps up to 7ft from the SW, but the period drops to 6 seconds and wind is strong cross-onshore at 28 mph. The energy hits 308, which is moderate, but the quality comment is “messy.” That’s blown-out, lumpy junk. For a beach and reef setup, this looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Wednesday the 15th through Friday the 17th is still a write-off. We get some cleaner windows on Friday morning with a light offshore from the NW, but the swell is barely 2ft with a short period. You could probably float around on a log, but there’s nothing to ride.

Saturday the 18th and into the next week doesn’t get any better. There’s a pulse on Monday the 20th with a 5ft to 7ft SSW swell, period around 6 seconds, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. The energy climbs to 298 on Monday afternoon, so there’s power, but with those onshores, it’s going to be a choppy, ugly mess.

The rest of the period into late July just repeats the theme: small swell, cross-onshore wind, poor conditions. There’s no standout day, no hidden gem. If you’re desperate for a paddle, maybe Friday the 17th morning with the offshore wind and clean conditions, but you’ll be surfacing more than surfing on that 2ft dribble.

Stay optimistic though – forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this flat and messy forever. But for now, I’d save the gas and wait for the next update.

Rusty

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