Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me be straight with you. The outlook for Lighthouse (Point Judith) this period is a long, dry spell. We’re looking at a real stretch of nothing burger conditions for the first week and a half.

We’ve got a gap of about six days right off the bat with no real surf to speak of. From Saturday the 22nd right through to Thursday the 27th of August, it’s all tiny, weak, and messy. Swell heights are barely scraping 2ft, the energy is pathetic (33 to 68 on the combined energy scale), and the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, just chopping up any hope of a clean wave. The water temp is sitting at 71°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

Things start to look a little more interesting from Friday the 28th of August. The combined energy finally bumps up to a moderate 138, with a 2ft swell from the SE. The wind goes light cross-off, so it’s clean. Still, it’s only a 1 out of 10 type of wave – surfable but very ordinary. We get a bit of a run of this clean, small stuff through the weekend, with Saturday the 29th showing a 3ft swell from the S, and the wind swinging offshore from the WNW by the afternoon. That’s the best on offer in the first week. Energy is moderate (107 to 122), but the swell is short period (7 seconds), so it’s a bit weak and crumbly.

Then there’s another gap. Sunday the 30th of August has a glassy morning, but the swell is tiny at 2ft, and then it drops off again. We’re looking at a few more days of nothing until we get into the first week of September.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is looking like Thursday the 3rd of September. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the S, with a combined energy of 313 – that’s the strongest in the whole 16-day window. But it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The wind is cross from the NE in the morning, and then cross-on from the E by the afternoon, so it’s going to be bumpy. That’s a solid 5ft, but with the onshore wind, it’s more of a sloppy, expert-only wave. It’s really the only day with any size.

For the rest of the second week, it’s back to small, clean, and weak. Friday the 4th of September has a 2ft swell with light cross-off wind and a 106 combined energy, but it’s just ordinary. Nothing else worth getting wet for.

Honestly, the whole 16-day window is a struggle. The best you’re looking at is a few clean, small days and one day of bumpy, bigger swell. For a reef and point break like Lighthouse, that long period swell (12-14 seconds) on the 1st and 2nd of September might offer some shape, but the wind is not on your side. If you’re a kite surfer, those Thursday and Friday afternoons with onshore wind and some size might be more interesting.

Stay patient, check the charts, and don't hold your breath.

Rusty

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