Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you – if you’re looking to paddle out around Point Judith over the next two and a half weeks, you’re going to need patience. There’s a long, quiet stretch ahead with barely a ripple worth suiting up for. The first real chance of anything surfable doesn’t show until late in the first week, and even then, it’s marginal.

From now through the first few days, it’s a bust. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-shore, and the water is producing nothing but lumpy, short-period junk. Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd are write-offs: weak energy (94 and 38 on the energy scale) with a messy northeast wind and waves under 4 ft. Sunday the 23rd offers a bit of a clean-up in the afternoon with a cross-offshore breeze from the SSW, but the swell is still only 3 ft and the energy is weak (50). Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th have clean conditions thanks to a strong cross-offshore wind, but the wave heights drop to 2 ft and 2 ft – barely a ripple with very low energy (107 and 48).

The first glimmer of hope comes late on Friday the 28th of August. The afternoon shows a 5 ft southerly swell with an 8-second period, clean cross-offshore wind from the SW, and moderate energy (306). It’s a marginal call – the quality is questionable, but it’s the best the forecast has to offer. The morning of Saturday the 29th might have a cleaner surface with gentler wind, but the swell drops to 3 ft.

After that, we hit another flat spell. Sunday the 30th has glassy conditions in the morning, but with only 1 ft on the dial, you’re just floating. That quiet stretch runs right through the start of September. The water temperature on Friday the 21st was 71°, which is about normal for the time of year, but it won’t matter much when there are no waves.

The next blip is Tuesday the 1st of September. We see a pulse of 5 ft swell from the SSW, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore from the ESE and ENE, making it messy and lumpy. The energy jumps up (204-238), but the lack of clean wind means it’s still a pass. Wednesday the 2nd drops off again, and by Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th, we’re back to glassy mornings and tiny, weak 1 ft swell.

To be honest, the standout window here is incredibly narrow. The only time that even flirts with being worth a look is the afternoon of Friday the 28th of August. Lighthouse (Point Judith) gets a 5 ft south swell with a clean cross-offshore west-southwest wind. It’s a reef-and-point setup, and the 8-second period isn’t groundswell, but it’s the best you’re going to get. Crowds are possible there, so if you go, you might have company.

This is a classic late-summer lull for the area. A blank run like this is more normal than not when the high pressure settles in. Forecasts can shift, but right now, this is about as quiet as it gets.

Take it easy,
Rusty.

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