Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Block Island.

To be straight with you, this forecast is a tough one. Looking at the whole 16-day window, the surf is pretty flat and the conditions are mostly messy. The first recommendation doesn’t come until Wednesday, July 8th, so we’ve got a solid gap of nearly a week with nothing worth paddling out for. After that, it’s a lot of choppy, onshore slop and only very small waves.

Let’s start with the first sign of life. On the morning of Wednesday, July 8th, Block Island is showing a small 5 ft swell from the ENE. The wind is a light, clean cross-offshore from the NNE, so the surface will be tidy. The combined wave energy is moderate at 152. It’s surfable, but only just. The swell period is short at 5 seconds, so it’s all wind swell – bumpy and weak on the face. This is really the only window that even gets a score above zero in the whole run.

From there, it’s back to poor conditions. Thursday afternoon (July 9th) and Friday (July 10th) see stronger SSW winds and choppy cross-onshore setups with waves around 3 ft. Not worth the drive.

We do see a pattern of cleaner mornings kicking in from Saturday, July 11th through Monday, July 13th, with lighter winds and cleaner surfaces. On the morning of Saturday, July 11th, we get 3 ft from the S with clean cross-offshore WNW winds at 12 mph. Sunday morning (July 12th) is even cleaner – 3 ft from the SSW with light cross-offshore W winds at just 6 mph. Monday morning (July 13th) has 4 ft from the SSW with very light SW winds, energy at 178 (moderate). These are the better moments in the outlook, but the wave heights are still small and the period is short to moderate (7-8 seconds). It’s not going to be pumping, just passable.

The best of a pretty average lot looks like Sunday morning, July 12th. Waist-high waves around 3 ft from the SSW, with a light offshore wind to keep it clean. Water temp is 66°F, which is about average for the time of year, so no thermal shock. This spot (Block Island) is a point break that rarely breaks, so the fact it has any size at all is notable. It can get busy too – crowds are often an issue here, so get out early if you’re keen.

From mid-July onward, the second week fades. The swell drops to tiny 2 ft to 3 ft with mostly onshore or cross-shore winds. Thursday afternoon (July 16th) sees a spike in energy to 214 (moderate) with 4 ft from the S, but it’s got a fresh cross-onshore wind that will chop it right up. For kite surfing, that setup might be more interesting than paddle surfing.

Honestly, if you’re on Block Island this period, keep your expectations low. The surf is small, inconsistent, and the wind is rarely your friend.

Rusty.

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