Wind & Waves at Ruggles & Narragansett

So the past week there were some forecasts predicting big swell and surf, but as the week went on it turned into smaller surf and more winds.  I went out a couple days in a row to check it out anyway and to see if any local surfers would be trying their luck.  With my Nikon 70-200mm VRII in hand (more like a 100-300mm on my crop-factor camera), I went and sat out in some wonderful weather.  If there wasn't any wind and wind chill, it might have just been perfect.  Sun, waves, water, local activity, it was quite a good way to spend the weekend.

The spot of choice was definitely Ruggles, at least from what I could tell.  The waves were breaking further north than usual, where on a typical day they break a little further south on the point.  It was really quite windy, about 25 knot winds with some hefty gusts, but Ruggles was pretty protected from the west winds by land and it made for some nice big waves without some of the chop that I saw at other spots like Narragansett Beach and 2nd Beach in Newport.  Although there seemed to be more activity at 2nd Beach, and supposedly activity at Monahan's Dock (although I didn't really stop in and check there), the swell really seemed to be at Ruggles, especially on Saturday.

Although the surfing activity was pretty low key, I still had a good time just watching some of the surf.  The few people that did put on their wetsuits and brave the winds didn't seem too active, or perhaps I was just watching after everyone had tired themselves out.  Either way, I have more pictures of spectacular waves crashing than of people surfing, but I hope you still enjoy the shots!