
Surf Forecasts:
Stent Road surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 17s period, WSW swell with 12,642 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Stent Road in the next 16 days are 4.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Stent Road over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
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
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Tue night, fresh winds from the SW by Thu afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Fri afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Fri night, moderate winds from the SW by Mon morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | ||||||||||||||
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 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 10 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
341 | 509 | 280 | 531 | 711 | 743 | 505 | 3484 | 7933 | 8907 | 12642 | 4496 | 10331 | 7758 | 7446 | 5953 | 5437 | 4301 | 3303 | 1409 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | 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 | 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 | 1:58AM0.38m | 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 | ||||||||
— | — | 6:35 | — | — | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 15 | WSW 19 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 16 | — | — | WSW 15 |
296 | 509 | 280 | 531 | 711 | 743 | 234 | 3484 | 7933 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2200 | — | — | 1409 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WSW 20 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
341 | 84 | 55 | 218 | 257 | 433 | 505 | 1461 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | WSW 22 | W 10 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WSW 24 | WSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
129 | 47 | 44 | 32 | 15 | 108 | 236 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | SE 3 | — | — | WNW 4 | NW 8 | W 6 | SSE 8 | S 7 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 10 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 8 |
3 | 2 | — | — | 14 | 2 | 202 | 427 | 203 | 8907 | 12642 | 4496 | 10331 | 7758 | 7446 | 5953 | 5437 | 4301 | 3303 | 700 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 19 | 0 | 0 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 3 | 3 | 243 | 210 | 112 | 243 | 112 | 243 | 210 | 112 | 112 | 273 | 243 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Taranaki | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










