Stent Road Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie, 'cause I’m gonna walk you through the next few weeks for Stent Road. This is a classic exposed reef and point setup that loves a solid SW pulse, but we’re in for a wild ride with some serious power and plenty of messy days to dodge.

We’re looking at a real slow start. The first proper window isn’t until Wednesday, September 9th. Tuesday the 8th is a write-off; we’ve got a small 3ft WSW swell in the water with a moderate cross breeze making a mess of it (energy only 769). Not even worth paddling out for.

Wednesday, September 9th is our first real standout. Early morning glass-off! Clear skies, a gentle offshore from the NE at just 3 mph, and that same 3ft of WSW groundswell but with a nice 12-second period on it. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. It’s clean, it’s tidy, and the energy is moderate (379). This is your window to get some fun, lined-up waves without the crowd eventually showing up. Conditions hold up into the afternoon with a light cross breeze, but the morning is the pick.

The swell starts to pump up on Thursday the 10th, rising to 6ft, but the wind shifts to a moderate cross-onshore from the NW. It gets choppy (energy jumps to 1286), and by Thursday afternoon a fresh SW 22 mph breeze and rain smash it into lumpy junk. Friday the 11th is a tease—the swell jumps to a solid 12ft overnight with a very long 19-second period, and early Friday morning the wind is light and cross, making it look tempting (energy a huge 8136). But that’s a big, powerful swell for experts only, and it’s a reef setup so it could show some serious peaky juice. However, by Friday afternoon the wind is back on it.

Then it gets heavy. Saturday the 12th through the weekend is a no-go zone. We’re looking at 13ft to 16ft of WSW swell, but it’s getting thrashed by 25 mph+ cross-onshore winds. The energy numbers are massive—hitting over 10,000 on Saturday afternoon—but it’s blown-out, messy, and dangerous. That kind of power at a reef and point with that wind is just asking for trouble and a beating. Honestly, this setup would be more interesting for a kite foiler than a paddle surfer.

This dirty run of big, onshore junk continues right through the middle of September. Waves stay in the 10ft to 13ft range with howling cross-onshore winds. Another potential stand-out window? Maybe Monday, September 21st. By then the swell drops back to a manageable 8ft, and the wind is directly onshore (W at 9 mph) but light. It’s listed as marginal, not pristine, but after a week of total crap, a 8ft wave with light wind might actually offer some shelter in the lineup for the brave.

The last few days of the outlook, September 22nd and 23rd, see the swell drop back down but the winds go ballistic again—near-gale force with rain on the 23rd. That’s just an ugly, blown-out end.

So to sum it up: your absolute best bet is Wednesday morning, September 9th. Get out there early for clean, playful 3ft waves. The only other serious glimmer of hope in this wild forecast is that big 12ft Friday the 11th morning if you’re an expert and don’t mind a bit of power, but the window is tight. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or too huge to be any fun for the average surfer.

Stay safe, and check the cams before you paddle out.

- Rusty

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