Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight: it’s a quiet stretch ahead for Block Island. The water’s sitting at about 70°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, nothing wild going on there.

The whole 16-day window is a bust for decent waves. Honestly, there’s nothing I’d paddle out for. From now right through the end of August and into the first week of September, the swell is tiny—mostly under 3 ft—and the wind is almost always a cross or cross-on breeze messing it up. The combined swell energy is weak, often below 100 (like 40 to 86), meaning there’s just no push. You’d be bobbing around on nothing.

Now, there *is* a bit of a pulse that shows up around September 3rd. On Thursday the 3rd, the morning and afternoon both see a clean 4 ft swell from the SE, with a proper 12 to 13 second period and a gentle offshore wind from the NNW. The energy jumps to a moderate 350 to 444, and the conditions are labeled clean. That’s the standout in this whole outlook. But remember, Block Island itself is a point break that rarely breaks, and it needs the right swell direction and wind. This SE swell coming in with a NNW offshore is about as good as it gets here, but it’s still only chest-high at best, and it’s a long way off—over a week away—so treat it as a promising but not locked-in option.

Before that, September 2nd has some energy building (223 to 250) but the wind is onshore or cross-on and the surf is marginal. Not worth it. By September 4th, the wind swings around to a strong cross-off from the NE with similar chest-high swell, but the energy is strong (436 to 450) and the conditions are clean. That Friday afternoon might surprise a few patient souls, but it’s still not a guarantee.

After that, September 5th through the 7th sees a jumbled mess of E swell around 4 ft to 5 ft, but the period is short (7 to 10 seconds) and the wind is mostly cross or cross-on with a chop, so it’s not going to be pretty. The energy drops back to moderate levels (175 to 315). The only real highlight in the whole two weeks is that Thursday the 3rd. If you’re desperate, maybe keep an eye on it, but otherwise, the island is flat and windy. This is one of those stretches where the lack of consistent breaks is pretty normal for the area.

Stay patient, and check back in.

Rusty.

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