Stent Road Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Stent Road. This is an advanced reef and point set-up, and it’s exposed to the southwest, which is its optimum direction. The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is about average for this time of year.

Right now, we’re looking at a rough start. Wednesday morning we’ve got a solid 10ft SW groundswell (13-second period) pushing in, but a strong 16 mph WSW wind is making a mess of it. The combined swell energy is a powerful 3578, but the conditions are poor. The afternoon doesn’t look any better with the wind swinging to the west. Thursday and Friday stay ugly with onshore and cross-onshore winds, keeping the waves chopped up. Thursday morning sees 6ft of SW swell (14 seconds) but it’s cross-on and messy. Friday is even bigger, pushing up to 12ft with a short period of 9 seconds, but a howling 22 mph NW wind is ruining it. The energy readings are high, but this is kite-surfing weather, not clean surf.

We hit a bit of a slump through to mid-week, with marginal conditions and only the occasional lull. Saturday the 5th still has solid 12ft swell, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, so the quality is only marginal at best.

Now, the first real standout is a late bloomer. The morning of Wednesday the 9th is our first true window. The wind drops to glassy, nothing more than a slight air, and we’ve got a clean 10ft SW groundswell (12-second period) rolling in. The water is clean. The combined energy is a solid 2765. This is going to be excellent for experienced surfers, and the sets will be long and clean. Get it while you can, because the afternoon turns back to poor onshore junk.

Then things get a bit chaotic. There is a massive pulse of energy forecast for the morning of Friday the 11th. We’re talking a 20ft WSW swell with a very long 19-second period. The combined energy hits a colossal 27267, which is serious ocean power. The wind is cross-off and clean, but this is a "too big" situation for Stent Road. Only for absolute experts who know the reef intimately. The same goes for the afternoon. This is a dangerous, powerful swell.

The next true standout comes the morning of Saturday the 12th. After that monster, the swell settles to a still solid 12ft from the WSW (17-second period). The wind is a light 6 mph southerly breeze, cross-off and clean. The energy is still a meaty 10497. This is an exceptional session for expert surfers only. The tide will be a factor, but the conditions will be clean and powerful.

After that, the surf slowly winds down. Sunday the 13th morning offers a more manageable 6ft WSW swell (14 seconds) with a light NNE cross-off breeze. That's a good clean option for experienced surfers, but the energy is lower (1712). By Monday and Tuesday, the wind gets messy again, and the swell fades into a choppy, poor end to the run. By the 17th, we're down to 3ft to 4ft and the energy is weak (530-628). It’s a flat finish.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off for quality surfing. Your best bets are the glassy morning of Wednesday the 9th and the super clean but big morning of Saturday the 12th. The 11th is for adrenaline junkies only. Get on it while it’s clean.

Rusty.

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