
Surf Forecasts:
Stent Road surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 15s period, W swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 15s period, WSW swell with 13,814 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 15s period with W 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 5.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 3.5m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Stent Road in the next 16 days are 5.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Stent Road over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. I’m only looking at one spot here, Stent Road, and it’s a reef and point setup that needs a solid SW groundswell. The forecast is a bit of a rollercoaster, so let’s break it down.
The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are big misses – strong cross-onshore winds and building swell that’s either messy or just too damn big. By Saturday afternoon, we’re looking at a 18 ft swell from the W with a 28 mph cross-onshore. That’s not surfing, that’s survival. The wave energy is off the charts, but the wind is ruining it. It’s a full-on kite-surfing setup, not one for a paddle.
Sunday morning the 26th is where it starts to get interesting. The wind drops to glassy – 3 mph from the ESE – and we’ve got a 12 ft WSW swell at a 14-second period. That’s a big, powerful groundswell, and the energy is still very strong. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers only. The water temp is about 58°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so a good 3/2 wetsuit is the call. This is one of the true standouts of the whole window, but it’s big and it’s a reef, so you need to know what you’re doing.
Monday morning the 27th is a repeat, glassy winds from the ESE again, with a 8 ft WSW swell and a 13-second period. Another excellent session for the advanced crew, just a little smaller than Sunday.
Tuesday the 28th through Thursday the 1st of August is a mixed bag of cleaner but smaller conditions. There’s a nice morning window on Tuesday the 28th with a clean 5 ft swell and a 12-second period, and the water is still glassy early. The crowds are listed as “often” at this spot, so expect a few locals out when it’s good. The second standout is the morning of Saturday the 1st of August – glassy as can be with a 6 ft WSW swell at 13 seconds. That’s a clean, fun size for a point break.
Then we get another quiet spell. The wind is a bit messy or light onshore, and the swell drops. That changes on Monday the 3rd of August. We get a really long-period groundswell – 20 seconds – from the WSW, but the wind is onshore. It’s a 6 ft swell, but the period is so long it’ll be a bit fat and straight at the beach, so it’s better at a point like this. The energy is high, but the wind is a letdown.
The second big energy push comes from the 4th of August. The swell builds again, but the wind shifts to a clean offshore cross-off from the SE. Tuesday morning the 4th has a 12 ft, 18-second swell with clean conditions. That’s a massive, powerful groundswell for experts only. The afternoon is a cleaner 10 ft with a 17-second period. This is definitely a standout for the second week, but it’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it.
The next few days, the 5th and 6th of August, are still big but the wind stays clean. The swell shifts more S and the period drops to 10 seconds, which is a less powerful wind swell. It’s still big at 13 ft to 16 ft, but the shorter period means it’s more of a beast. This is only for the absolute best on a big day.
The last few days taper off. Friday the 7th of August has a clean 4 ft, 16-second groundswell in the afternoon, which is a nice, clean finisher for the experts. The window then closes with onshore winds and smaller surf on the 8th.
So, the two best windows are Sunday morning, July 26th and the Tuesday to Thursday run from August 4th to 6th. The first is a sure thing for the experienced, the second is a promising long-range forecast for the big-wave chargers. For the average surfer, the glassy mornings of July 28th and August 1st are your best bet for a manageable, clean wave.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Sat morning, light winds from the ESE by Sun morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 12 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WSW 16 | W 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
510 | 748 | 666 | 3609 | 12375 | 10054 | 4493 | 2763 | 2323 | 1808 | 1261 | 1000 | 559 | 512 | 444 | 415 | 408 | 987 | 624 | 2976 | 3467 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:01PM2.38m | 6:24AM2.33m | 7:04PM2.45m | 7:25AM2.41m | 7:58PM2.56m | 8:16AM2.52m | 8:43PM2.70m | 8:59AM2.65m | 9:24PM2.84m | 9:39AM2.77m | 10:00PM2.96m | 10:15AM2.86m | 10:35PM3.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:39AM0.91m | 00:17AM1.02m | 12:42PM0.89m | 1:18AM0.95m | 1:38PM0.80m | 2:10AM0.83m | 2:26PM0.68m | 2:54AM0.70m | 3:08PM0.54m | 3:34AM0.56m | 3:46PM0.42m | 4:11AM0.43m | 4:22PM0.33m | ||||||||
7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | |
— | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | |
mm | 3 | 16 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 10 | NW 8 | WSW 16 | W 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 13 | W 8 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 |
510 | 502 | 666 | 3609 | 4982 | 8547 | 4493 | 2763 | 2323 | 1808 | 1261 | 1000 | 559 | 512 | 444 | 415 | 408 | 987 | 421 | 2976 | 3467 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 9 | WSW 9 | NW 8 | — | — | S 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | — | WSW 13 | — | — |
— | 372 | 337 | 403 | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | 11 | 58 | 357 | — | 624 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 20 | WSW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | W 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 8 | 307 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | NW 8 | — | — | W 15 | WSW 15 | SSE 6 | S 5 | S 4 | — | SW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | W 6 | W 8 | W 9 | — |
265 | 748 | — | — | 12375 | 10054 | 34 | 18 | 6 | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 104 | 518 | 885 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 229 | 112 | 112 | 124 | 217 | 210 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 |
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.










