Block Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, it’s your local surf reporter Rusty here, checking in on the prospects for Block Island.

Look, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window starts off pretty grim. For over a week, we’ve got mostly small, weak swells and the wind is just not playing ball. From the 25th of August right through to the 4th of September, it’s basically a write-off. The waves are tiny – mostly 1 ft to 3 ft – blown out by cross-shore and cross-onshore breezes, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. There’s a lot of frustrated scanning of the horizon ahead, and no real reason to paddle out. About the only highlight in that first stretch is a bit of clean surf on the morning of Saturday the 29th of August, with a small 3-ft, 7-second swell from the SSW and a cross-offshore NNE breeze at 12 mph – clean, but barely enough energy to push you down the line. Still, that’s just a blip in a long, flat spell.

Now, there’s a little shift heading into the first week of September. The 2nd looks clean in the morning, but again the swell is a weak 2 ft. The real glimpse of hope shows up on the 5th of September (Saturday morning), with a bit more energy coming through – 3 ft from the ESE, 10-second period and a clean, cross-offshore breeze at 12 mph. The combined swell energy hits 214 (moderate), but the forecast still calls it marginal. It’s something to keep an eye on, but don't get carried away.

The Standout

If you’ve got patience, the prize is Monday the 7th of September. This is the one. The morning session looks like it will deliver the best waves of the entire 16-day run. We’re looking at a proper SSW swell pushing 6 ft with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy reads 505 (strong) – that’s serious power. And what sets this apart is the wind: a light offshore from the NNW at just 9 mph, keeping the surf clean and lined up. This is solid intermediate-to-expert territory given the size (over 5 ft), but for those who can handle it, the setup at Block Island (a point break that rarely breaks) is a rare treat. Just be aware, it *rarely* breaks, so to see it firing like this is special. The downside? It’s often crowded, so get out early. The water temp is 69°, which is about normal for the time of year, so a steamer might be optional on a sunny morning.

After that gem, the 8th and 9th of September fade back into small, onshore slop, so make the most of that Monday.

So there it is: a long wait, but one clear standout. Keep your eyes on that 7th of September.

Rusty.

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