
Surf Forecasts:
Stent Road surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 18s period, WSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 19s period, WSW swell with 22,211 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s 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 Monday (Sep 07) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Stent Road in the next 16 days are 5.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Stent Road over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer for Stent Road.
We’re looking at a patchy start, but there’s a proper window of quality surf incoming if you’re an experienced surfer. The first few days are a bit messy with onshore winds and a lot of energy in the water, but we’ll get through it.
The standout session is hands down Monday morning, the 7th of September. We’ve got a solid 8ft swell from the WSW, and the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze. That’s going to leave the surface glassy and clean. The swell period is a very long 15 seconds, which means powerful, well-shaped groundswell lines. At a reef and point break like Stent Road, that long period will wrap in beautifully. The water temp is sitting around 57°F which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. The combined energy is moderate-to-strong (3204), so you’ll feel the push. This is a setup for experienced surfers only, as the size and power demand respect. The break is consistent, and crowds are often around, so expect some company for those set waves.
Before that, Saturday the 5th is a washout with strong onshore winds and choppy conditions, not worth paddling out for. Sunday the 6th stays cross-shore and lumpy, though the swell holds size.
After Monday, the quality drops off. Tuesday morning the 8th still has clean conditions but the swell fades to 6ft, and it gets weaker, so it’s only a marginal session. Wednesday and Thursday look poor with onshore winds and messy surf.
Then we get a huge spike that’s one for the big-wave specialists only. On Friday the 11th of September, the swell jumps to a massive 18ft from the WSW with a very long period of 19 seconds. The combined energy is through the roof at 26079, which is just insane. But the wind is howling onshore and the forecast says it’s simply too big for this break. This is a full-on, life-threatening paddle-out, and honestly, with that much wind and swell, this setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. Same story continues into Saturday the 12th with 20ft swell and strong winds.
After that, the swell drops back to a more manageable 15ft by Monday the 14th of September, and we get another clean morning. The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE, and the conditions are described as exceptional for experts. The 15-second period keeps the waves powerful and lined up. This is a solid second choice, but it’s still heavy, so leave the foam boards at home.
The final week gets messy again with strong cross-on winds and lumpy conditions until we get a nice surprise on Friday the 18th of September. The morning brings a gentle offshore breeze from the ESE with a 10ft WSW swell. The 13-second period gives it good shape, and the energy is moderate (3384). It’s clean and excellent for experienced surfers.
Then the last highlight is Saturday the 19th of September. Saturday morning has a 18ft WSW swell, a clean cross-offshore breeze, and exceptional conditions for experts. The combined energy is strong (7526). The afternoon holds 20ft waves but gets a little more marginal. This is a big-swell day, but with the clean wind, it’s a serious draw for the crew who know what they’re doing on the reef.
There’s a long gap of poor-quality surf from the 15th through the 17th, but those two clear windows – the 7th and the 14th – are the ones to circle. The 19th also looks promising, but remember, it’s further out so the forecast could shift.
Keep your eyes on the horizon, and stay safe out there.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun night, min 10°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, strong winds from the SW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 12 | NW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 9 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
5938 | 5956 | 6144 | 6524 | 6592 | 4213 | 3204 | 1983 | 862 | 1003 | 496 | 723 | 366 | 261 | 1131 | 925 | 1029 | 5734 | 19964 | 20625 | 21662 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:52PM2.55m | 4:30AM2.45m | 5:21PM2.56m | 6:00AM2.50m | 6:41PM2.72m | 7:13AM2.67m | 7:43PM2.93m | 8:09AM2.88m | 8:33PM3.14m | 8:56AM3.06m | 9:16PM3.29m | 9:38AM3.19m | 9:56PM3.36m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:36AM0.73m | 10:22PM0.84m | 10:58AM0.77m | 11:46PM0.78m | 12:17PM0.67m | 00:59AM0.60m | 1:22PM0.48m | 1:58AM0.38m | 2:17PM0.28m | 2:47AM0.17m | 3:04PM0.11m | 3:31AM0.02m | 3:46PM0.02m | ||||||||
6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | 7 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 12 | NW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 9 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 20 | WSW 19 | — | — |
5938 | 5956 | 6144 | 6524 | 6592 | 4213 | 3204 | 1983 | 862 | 1003 | 496 | 723 | 366 | 261 | 1131 | 925 | 1029 | 1379 | 6115 | — | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 9 | WSW 11 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — |
247 | — | — | — | — | — | 558 | 306 | 273 | 449 | 352 | 197 | 82 | 75 | 257 | 433 | 238 | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | S 6 | WSW 13 | SSE 8 | W 9 | W 14 | SE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 360 | 254 | 30 | 261 | 13 | 78 | 181 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 8 | — | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WSW 15 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 |
— | 153 | — | — | — | 631 | — | — | 271 | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 145 | 361 | 5734 | 19964 | 20625 | 21662 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 278 | 278 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 223 | 210 | 243 | 237 | 243 |
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.










