Surf Forecast  Monahan's Dock

Monahan's Dock surfspot characteristics

More about Monahan's Dock surfspot

State Pier #5, Tuckers Dock, or Monahans Dock are all used to describe this rock construction. The submerged reef peak has some crumblier lefts, which occasionally produce, but the rights are where the good stuff happens. Low tide, top-to-bottom, thick barrels with a critical take-off right in front of the dock. High tide is an easier take-off walling into a bowly end section. The dock claims plenty of boards and bodies that don’t make the wave. Some other reefs in the vicinity are equally powerful and dangerous, such as Rincon, Pigs, and 40 MPH. Handles everything. Experts only.

General: Also known as State Pier #5 and Tucker’s Dock, Monahan’s Dock is one of Rhode Island’s heaviest waves. The rocky pier at the end of the seawall sets the stage for a short, punchy A-frame with a heavier, hollower right and a softer, more rippable left. The ideal swell can produce dredging, thick, tall barrels bending into a bowly end section. There’s rarely any current here, but the place breaks a lot of boards — and bones. </br></br>By East Coast standards, Monahan's is a high-risk surf spot. The ride is short, but the waves have power and break directly into the jetty. Before surf leashes, few people risked surfing here because of the potential damage to their surfboards. With today's lightly glassed shortboards, a broken leash at Monahan's most often means terminal board damage. </br></br>In sticking to the high-risk theme, Monahan's is not only a heavy wave, but a holder of heavy crowds. Personal injury and/or damaged surfboards are more likely here than at any other New England break: there is one peak and one takeoff spot, so tensions dramatically increase when four or more surfers are out. Any session with more than 10 people out should be considered a waste of time, but that doesn't seem to stop twice as many people from paddling out at the same time. At such times, Monahan's becomes a circus: a great wave too often overrun by clowns. The vibe in the water is as heavy as you'll find anywhere. To add to your overall health concerns, the sewage outlet for the nearby town of South Kingstown empties into the ocean a few hundred yards from the lineup. Obviously, Monahan's is not for the sensitive or the inexperienced, so if you're a beginning surfer - or at least one who is adverse to crowds - remember that there are plenty of breaks very close by that offer sometimes empty line-ups and fun waves. Tides: Lower tides are the real deal, but higher tides offer easier takeoffs. Size: Chest high-triple overhead. Wind: W, WNW, NW Swell: SE, SSE, S Bottom: Boulders, reef, sand. Paddling: There’s very little current here even when it’s big, and it’s shallow, so paddle-outs are easy (not always a good thing). Spot Rating: A proper reefbreak and one of New England’s neatest setups — it’s like the West Coast of the East Coast.

If you or your surfboard can’t make the drop, don’t even bother.

Free car park and limited roadside parking.

September-December

Crowd Factor: Big risks plus big rewards equals big crowds. Local Vibe: A legit wave for legit surfers. The ones who can’t hang get dealt with — one way or another.

Always crowded—because 6 is a crowd in the tight take-off zone. Medium consistency with very little current, even when it’s huge.

Pretty clean… now. An oil spill off Point Judith in 1996 incited new and increased safety regulation, and Surfrider’s Rhode Island Chapter implemented the Blue Water Task Force, which conducts water testing/analysis at several spots.

Between the uneven rocky bottom, the submerged reef peak, and the tight, critical takeoff zone right in front of the dock, it can get dangerous here, particularly at low tide. Therefore, localism.