
Surf Forecasts:
Stent Road surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 12s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, WSW swell with 11,855 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 12s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Stent Road this week:
The surf forecast for Stent Road over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Stent Road in the next 16 days are 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Stent Road over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.
The long-range picture is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a solid run of swell coming, but the wind is going to be the main character for most of it. There are a few windows where it all comes together, but you’ll have to pick your moments.
We’re starting things off at Stent Road (reef and point). The water is sitting at 57.6°F, which is right about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. Tuesday morning is our first real look, with a clean 3.6ft of WSW groundswell at 13 seconds. The southerly cross-offshore wind is a beaut, keeping things glassy. The energy is moderate (963), but it’s clean and should be a fun one.
The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday gets a bit messy. The swell backs off to around 3.3ft, and while Wednesday morning is clean with 3.3ft, the wind swings around and the tide looks questionable. Not much to get excited about.
Thursday is a write-off. The wind goes strong and onshore from the northwest, making it choppy. The swell builds to 6.2ft, but it’s all over the place with a weak period. Even though the energy kicks up to 1378, it’s not going to be any fun.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. Friday morning is the standout for this period. We’ve got a proper pulse of energy hitting – 11.5ft of WSW swell with a long 19-second period. That’s a serious groundswell, with raw energy hitting 8782. The wind is a light southerly cross, so it won't be perfect, but it should be big and powerful. This is advanced territory for sure; if you’re not confident, sit this one out.
But Friday afternoon the wind swings hard onshore from the west and it gets blown out. The surf stays big but it’s messy. The whole weekend is a right-off to be honest. Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday all have strong cross-onshore winds with 11.5ft to 16.4ft of swell, and the energy readings are huge (9233, 5416, 5742, 6845). It’s going to be a washing machine out there. Too big and too blown out for anything but a spectator sport.
Monday through Wednesday of the following week are still poor. The swell drops a bit to 6.6-9.8ft, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore. There’s plenty of energy, but the quality just isn’t there.
Then we get another glimmer. Thursday, the 17th of September, afternoon looks promising. The swell is big, 14.8ft, with a 13-second period, and the wind goes cross-offshore from the SSE. It’ll still be huge and the energy is massive (7980). This is a big-wave day for experts only, but it could be epic. The 18th looks like another blowout, so that Thursday afternoon is the second and final real highlight.
The final few days see the swell ease off. The 22nd and the 23rd have some cleaner conditions with 7.5ft to 9.8ft of swell. The morning of the 22nd with a SE cross-off wind might be worth a paddle if you’re keen, and the 23rd morning has almost no wind, but the swell direction is a bit cross. Still, nothing will touch that Friday morning.
So, to sum it up: Tuesday morning is your clean, fun-sized precursor. Friday morning, September 11th, is the one to circle – big, powerful, and with just enough cross-off wind to hold it together. The following Thursday afternoon is the other shot, but that’s for the brave only. Between those, expect a lot of blown-out, large swell. Stay sharp.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the SW by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Fri morning, strong winds from the SW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
414 | 341 | 541 | 280 | 540 | 638 | 783 | 499 | 1676 | 8455 | 9165 | 11031 | 5416 | 5742 | 10331 | 6845 | 5954 | 5805 | 1883 | 3303 | 2878 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:43PM2.93m | 8:09AM2.88m | 8:33PM3.14m | 8:56AM3.06m | 9:16PM3.29m | 9:38AM3.19m | 9:56PM3.36m | 10:17AM3.25m | 10:34PM3.35m | 10:54AM3.24m | 11:10PM3.27m | 11:30AM3.16m | 11:45PM3.12m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:22PM0.48m | 1:58AM0.38m | 2:17PM0.28m | 2:47AM0.17m | 3:04PM0.11m | 3:31AM0.02m | 3:46PM0.02m | 4:11AM-0.05m | 4:26PM-0.00m | 4:49AM-0.04m | 5:04PM0.06m | 5:25AM0.05m | 5:42PM0.19m | ||||||||
6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | |
— | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 4 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 9 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | — | — | — | WSW 15 | — | — | WSW 16 | WSW 9 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 |
397 | 296 | 541 | 280 | 540 | 638 | 433 | 499 | 721 | 8455 | 9165 | — | — | — | 2325 | — | — | 1629 | 1020 | 3303 | 2878 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WSW 20 | WSW 18 | WSW 24 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | — | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 15 | S 6 | — |
414 | 341 | 84 | 55 | 218 | 257 | 108 | 236 | 1676 | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1883 | 17 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | NW 9 | WSW 22 | WSW 21 | NW 8 | — | WSW 24 | WSW 22 | WSW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
152 | 129 | 47 | 148 | 23 | — | 54 | 363 | 1461 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | S 4 | ESE 2 | SSE 3 | NNE 3 | NW 7 | WSW 11 | W 6 | S 7 | SSE 7 | S 6 | WSW 17 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | SSE 6 | — | — |
23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 783 | 312 | 435 | 327 | 39 | 11031 | 5416 | 5742 | 10331 | 6845 | 5954 | 5805 | 60 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 273 | 17 | 10 | 243 | 224 | 135 | 243 | 243 | 243 | 243 | 46 | 112 | 243 | 243 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Taranaki | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Stent Road Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Stent Road provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Stent Road can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Stent Road surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Stent Road) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Stent Road may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Taranaki? If you are looking for accommodation near Stent Road, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Taranaki, consider staying in New Plymouth which is 33 km (20 miles) away.










