the beach today
Block Island, Rhode Island

Crescent Beach
Block Island

No Cars Here

The main beach on Block Island -- 3 miles of pristine Atlantic sand, no visitor cars beyond golf carts and bikes, 40% of the island preserved as open space, and a ferry from Point Judith that takes 55 minutes.

Today on the Sand

loading live data…

Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Garages, lots & meters

Sunset

Sunset countdown & live cam

Dining

Where to eat after the sand

Things to Do

Cruises, sails & tours

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Crescent Beach

3 miles of Atlantic sand, the main beach

Top-rated · pristine

Crescent South

Quieter southern section of Crescent

Quieter · less traffic

Mansion Beach

South end, stunning clay bluff backdrop

Dramatic · beautiful

Mohegan Bluffs

200-ft clay cliffs, viewpoint not swim

Viewpoint · dramatic

Ballard's Beach

Near the ferry, activity and bar scene

Lively · near ferry

Fred Benson Beach

Crescent center, main family section

Lifeguards · families

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Old Harbor

5 min bike

Ferry terminal, shops, and the best restaurants

New Harbor

10 min bike

Great Salt Pond, marinas, and The Oar restaurant

Mohegan Bluffs

30 min bike

200-ft clay cliffs and Southeast Lighthouse

Settler's Rock

30 min bike

Sachem Pond birding and north island views

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Crescent Beach. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Crescent Beach, the water is 70°F, surf is running 2–3 ft and the air is 74°F but feels like 78°F. Wind is 11 mph from the SSW and the UV index peaks at 6 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 26 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 1 PM to 2 PM. Today’s tides: High 12:42 AM, Low 5:33 AM, High 1:08 PM, Low 6:25 PM.