
Surf Forecasts:
Stent Road surf forecast from 10 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 17s period, WSW swell with 12,846 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Stent Road this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Stent Road in the next 16 days are 4.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Stent Road over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, grab a coffee and settle in, because I've got a wild ride coming up for Stent Road over the next couple of weeks. This is Rusty, and let me tell you, this is a classic story of "when it's on, it's on, but you've got to pick your moment."
First off, the water temp is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year – nothing out of the ordinary there.
Now, straight off the bat, you’ve got a bit of a waiting game. There's nothing really worth paddling out for until Friday morning, the 11th of September. So, you’ve got a quiet start to the period.
The Standout – Friday Morning, 11th September
Alright, here’s your moment. The standout of this entire outlook is Friday morning. Stent Road is a reef and point break, and it's going to be working. We’re looking at a strong 12 ft swell pumping from the WSW, and this is a long-period groundswell at 19 seconds. That energy reading is massive – we're talking strong to very strong at 8798 – so you know there's serious power behind it.
Now, the wind is a light SSW breeze at 9 mph, which is a cross-shore. That’s going to keep things clean, with just a slight cross-chop. Honestly, for a spot that handles this direction so well, this is going to be epic. However, this is a wave for the big dogs only. At 12 ft, that’s expert territory, especially with that long period. The long gaps between sets will be your friend for getting out the back, but those waves will be walling up. If you’re not solid on a gun, give it a miss. Also, it’s a consistent spot but you're likely to see a few other heads out there.
The Rest of the Window (The "If You're Desperate" Section)
After that Friday morning magic, the wheels come off a bit.
- Friday afternoon gets messy. The wind cranks up to 19 mph from the WSW, making it a lumpy cross-onshore mess. Avoid.
- Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are a write-off. The swell is huge – 16 ft on Saturday and 8 ft on Sunday – but the wind is howling onshore from the SW. It’s just going to be a raw, windy, dangerous mess. No good for surfing.
- Monday the 14th through to Wednesday the 16th of September is a mixed bag of medium swell but with onshore and cross-onshore winds, keeping the quality low. The 6 ft to 10 ft range is there, but it’s choppy and lumpy.
- Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of September brings another big pulse of 13 ft to 15 ft swell, but again, the wind is on it. It’s all onshore or cross-onshore. This will be more of a kitesurfing show than a surfing one, honestly.
- Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th of September: You still have a big 12-13 ft swell, but the wind is still a problem. It’s cross-onshore and messy.
- Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd of September: The swell direction shifts to the S. The size is still solid, 13 ft to 15 ft, and the wind does look a bit better on Tuesday morning, with a light SSW at 9 mph creating a cross-shore. But it’s still a huge swell with moderate energy (4324 to 4540). The scores are low because of the size and tricky conditions. Experts only.
- Wednesday the 23rd of September: The swell starts to drop. We’re down to 4 ft from the WSW, with almost no wind. This might be the sneaky glassy window, but at that size, Stent Road is unlikely to be doing much.
- Thursday the 24th of September: More small, weak swell and cross-onshore wind.
A Little Hope for the End (Friday 25th September)
Finally, on Friday morning the 25th, things look promising again. The swell is a cleaner 5 ft from the WSW, but the wind is the star of the show. A light 9 mph breeze from the NE creating a near-offshore condition. It will be clean. This is much more manageable for a wider range of surfers and the energy is moderate (1139). This could be a great, fun session after all that big, ugly stuff.
The Long-Range Promise (Beyond the First Week)
Looking into the second week, from the 20th onwards, there’s still solid swell in the water, but the wind direction is the key. It’s a case of picking the cleanest moment, and right now, Friday the 25th morning is looking like your best bet after the initial stand-out day.
So, to sum it up: Friday morning the 11th is the one if you’re a big-wave charger. After that, you're hunting for brief windows, with Friday the 25th morning being the only other sniff of clean waves.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Fri morning, strong winds from the SW by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 9 | WSW 11 | WSW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
743 | 499 | 3484 | 8717 | 9343 | 4799 | 5718 | 11488 | 10165 | 3386 | 3042 | 4858 | 3392 | 2598 | 2553 | 1159 | 874 | 396 | 1714 | 1994 | 6125 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | 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 | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | 12:06PM3.03m | 00:21AM2.93m | 12:43PM2.86m | 00:59AM2.72m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 6:01AM0.20m | 6:19PM0.37m | 6:37AM0.40m | 6:58PM0.58m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
— | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | |
mm | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 15 | WSW 19 | — | — | — | WSW 16 | — | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 9 | WSW 18 | — |
743 | 294 | 3484 | 8717 | — | — | — | 3062 | — | 3386 | 3042 | 4858 | 3392 | 2598 | 2553 | 1159 | 874 | 396 | 1714 | 32 | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 20 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
433 | 499 | 1461 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 24 | WSW 14 | WSW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
108 | 236 | 865 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | W 6 | SSE 8 | — | WSW 18 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | — | — | — | — | WSW 7 | WSW 6 | W 7 | — | WSW 11 | WSW 15 |
2 | 123 | 469 | — | 9343 | 4799 | 5718 | 11488 | 10165 | 1901 | 1447 | — | — | — | — | 217 | 119 | 248 | — | 1994 | 6125 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 112 | 112 | 10 | 10 | 243 | 180 | 124 | 224 | 243 | 210 | 180 | 35 | 46 | 250 | 243 | 243 | 232 | 112 | 217 | 278 | 210 |
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.










