Staying Home Sucks, home
Crescent Beach Block Island Tower View by Sperry Andrews
Block Island. Photo: Charles Sperry Andrews III, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Block Island

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

32Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 6 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 17 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
8kJ
Wind
SW 12 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 14 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 smushy
Energy
6kJ
Wind
WSW 9 kn
Temp
16°C

Thu 5 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
19kJ
Wind
SSW 12 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
100kJ
Wind
SSW 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 27 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
60kJ
Wind
N 6 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 60 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
50kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
12°C

Mon 9 · 39 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
51kJ
Wind
ENE 8 kn
Temp
11°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 215, too small
  2. Tue 317, too small
  3. Wed 414, too small
  4. Thu 526, too small
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 727, poor
  7. Sun 860, good
  8. Mon 939, poor
  9. Tue 1011, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best in Jul1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Block Island, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov15, too small1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the west-south-west, 14 knots, offshore15°C
Tue 3Nov17, too small1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the south-west, 12 knots, offshore15°C
Wed 4Nov14, too small1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore16°C
Thu 5Nov26, too small2 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the south-south-west, 12 knots, offshore17°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big4 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)100kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov27, poor3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the north, 6 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov60, good3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore12°C
Mon 9Nov39, poor2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)51kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots11°C
Tue 10Nov11, poor3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)47kJwind from the east-north-east, 27 knots13°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 01:07 +0.4 mLow 07:12 −0.4 mHigh 13:34 +0.5 mLow 19:58 −0.4 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:13 +0.5 mLow 08:28 −0.4 mHigh 14:39 +0.5 mLow 20:59 −0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:14 +0.6 mLow 09:37 −0.4 mHigh 15:38 +0.5 mLow 21:53 −0.5 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Block Island

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (77°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (257°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 80). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best month is usually July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is New Shoreham, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,110–US$1,980 each

about US$1,110–US$1,980 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PVD, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$167–US$348
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,110–US$1,980

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: New Shoreham

Closest

New Shoreham

about 5 min by car · 49 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 49 places to stay in New Shoreham · Booking.com

About New Shoreham its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 5h 35m

About 5h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → PVD, direct, then 1h 25m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.