Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening for Block Island. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a quiet run ahead. This is a point break that rarely breaks, so when it’s this flat for so long, it’s not a huge surprise. We’re looking at a real dry spell through most of the next two weeks.

Right off the bat, from Saturday the 29th of August right through the first week of September, the surf is tiny. We're talking ankle-snappers at best – mostly around 1 ft to 2 ft. A lot of cross-onshore and crummy winds in there, too. Combined energy is weak, with readings like 54 and 52 on Saturday – that's just no juice in the water. Water temp is sitting at 69°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing weird there. Sunday the 30th is even smaller, maybe 1 ft to 3 ft, but that three foot is a short-period, sloppy SW windswell with only a 4-second period – total mush. Monday the 31st has clean conditions with a light NE breeze, but the swell is just 1 ft, so there’s nothing to ride.

There’s a slight uptick on Wednesday the 2nd of September. We get a 5 ft E swell in the morning and 5 ft in the afternoon. The energy bumps up to 299, which is moderate. But the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the ENE, making it lumpy and choppy. Period is only 6 to 7 seconds, so it’s windswell, not groundswell. Not really clean enough to get excited about. Thursday the 3rd is similar with a 3 ft swell and gentle cross-onshore winds – still pretty average.

After that, we drop right back down. From Friday the 4th through Sunday the 6th, it’s back to 1 ft to 2 ft. The 6th has a clean morning with a NE cross-offshore breeze, but again, with 2 ft and 8-second period, you’re just floating around.

The only time things get a little more interesting is around Monday the 8th of September. A 5 ft east swell shows up with energy at 237 to 288 – that’s moderate. But the wind is a fresh cross-shore, 15 to 19 mph, so it's lumpy and messy. On Wednesday the 10th, there's an 11-second period SSE swell with 3 ft, but energy is up at 313. That’s a longer period, which means more shape, but the wind is still fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, so it’s not going to be clean. Later that week, the 11th and 12th, we get some cleaner conditions, but the swell is tiny again – 2 ft to 3 ft.

Come Sunday the 13th of September, we finally see some offshore wind – NNW at 16 mph – but the swell is just 1 ft to 3 ft with short periods. Clean, but no power.

Honestly, the best on offer for the whole 16-day window is probably the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. That 5 ft east swell, even with the lumpy cross-shore, is the biggest height we see. But it's not clean. There’s no standout session here. If you’re desperate, maybe the 8th of September for the 5 ft, but you’ll be fighting the chop.

This is a long, flat stretch for Block Island. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, it’s a waiting game.

- Rusty

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