Surfing

Not for the weak at heart, a wintry windy swell-producing day catches many students’ eyes in the first light of day. On a nice, big and clean wave day, it is very tough to go to class. The event of waves coming into your region is pretty exciting as it makes you feel like you are part of something much, much bigger than yourself.

Many students at URI take part surfing here in Rhode Island as we have a phenomenal coastline to do so. We are exposed to open ocean from the Southwest all the way to the East for any sort of waves that are produced either coming up from southern states on the east coast or from storms that have produced waves from out in the middle of the ocean. Popular surf spots include: Narragansett Beach, Matunuck Beach, Pt. Judith and Scarborough Beach. Students need to cough up a lot of dough to keep warm in these conditions however. Wetsuits, boots and gloves can cost up to $400, and surfboards can range from $200- $2,000 for a top of the line board. URI has a surf club which meets frequently in the memorial union. Also, the surf club runs competitions that take place on Narragansett Beach as well as competitions that run as far away as second beach in Newport.