Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight. I’ve given the charts the once-over, and for our stretch of coast, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for getting a proper wave. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, wind-blown junk, and it’ll test your patience.

The good news is there is a pulse of energy showing up way out there, but it’s a long way off. We’re looking at a solid run of days where the swell is just too weak to do anything with. From the 18th through the 27th, you’re looking at a whole lot of nothing, with waves mostly under 3 ft and a lot of onshore breeze making a mess of things. Tuesday the 20th has some clean conditions, but there’s barely a ripple to ride, so it’s not worth getting excited about.

There is a slight bump in energy around Monday the 24th, with the swell picking up to a bit over 4 ft. It’s still coming from the south, which puts us in a bit of a shadow, and the wind is cross-onshore, so honestly, it’s not going to be pretty. Still a no-go for me.

Now, we gotta look way out to the end of the month. The real swell event lines up for the 29th and 30th of August. We’re talking a proper pulse of south swell with combined energy values jumping up into the 200s and 300s – that’s a solid push of energy. This is the one to keep an eye on. On Saturday the 29th, the swell hits around 4 ft from the south, and with a light cross-onshore wind, it could clean up, especially if the swell direction holds. The water is 70°, which is about average for this time of year. It’s a glimmer of hope, but it’s over a week away, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed.

Our best bet in this whole window is Block Island (point break) on Sunday, August 30th. The swell is a touch smaller, dropping to 3-4 ft, but that’s fine for this spot. The key here is the strong NNE cross-offshore wind, which will make for clean, workable conditions. It’ll be a bit more manageable than the day before. This spot is rarely breaking, so when it does line up, you need to be on it. But there’s a catch: it’s a point break, and the swell direction seems to be from the south, which might not be its absolute optimum (it likes SE), and it can get crowded when it’s good, so expect a few other dedicated souls out there. With a period of 7-8 seconds, it’s a mix of wind and ground swell, not the long-period stuff, so it might not be classic. Still, it’s the only option that looks like it has any real quality, and given how rare that is, I’d be making plans for that last Sunday of the month.

Don’t hold your breath for the days before or after. The run from the 18th to the 27th is a complete write-off. The good news is it tends not to stay this flat for long, and the models are showing that pulse of energy, so there’s reason to be hopeful. Forecasts change, but this is the plan for now.

That’s all from me. Stay patient.

Rusty

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