Stent Road Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our local zone. Looks like we’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands. The forecast kicks off with some decent signs, but hang tight, because the real standout is a fair way off.

The first surf worth paddling out for kicks off on Sunday the 12th of July. We’ve got a beautiful, long-period WSW groundswell rolling in at Stent Road, a reef and point break that handles this direction perfectly. Sunday morning is clean and clear with a tiny 5 km/h offshore breeze. The swell is a solid 6 ft with a 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy, giving you nice shaped waves with long lulls between sets. The combined energy is a strong 1547, so there’s plenty of push behind it. This is an advanced wave, though; at this size and with that power, it’s not for the faint-hearted. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing weird going on there. Sunday afternoon goes glassy with a 6 ft swell, still excellent for those who know the lineup. Crowds are likely here, so get in early.

Monday the 13th gets messy. A strong 30 km/h NNE wind kicks up, dropping the swell to 4 ft and the energy falls to 612. It’s marginal at best, and by the afternoon, it’s a write-off with rain showers and onshore chop. Tuesday the 14th brings a shift – we see a shorter period 5 ft WNW swell, only 8 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 522, and it’s cross-shore wind. The waves will be soft and a bit crumbly. Not worth the drive. Wednesday the 15th sees a massive spike in size, with 10 ft to 12 ft WSW groundswell, and energy readings hitting 4034 and 5192. But that’s a big, raw ocean, and with a strong cross-onshore wind, it’s just a messy, dangerous lump. Only for the truly experienced if the wind co-operates at the right tide, but honestly, it looks more like a kite surfing day than a paddle session.

Thursday the 16th stays big and onshore, dropping slightly to 8 ft, but still cross-onshore and choppy. We get another drop in quality through Friday and Saturday the 17th and 18th, with onshore winds and dropping energy. The best of that weekend block is Saturday afternoon, where a clean 7 ft WSW swell rolls in with a cross-offshore breeze, but the energy is still high at 2992. It’s a bit of a diamond in the rough.

Then we hit a proper surf window. Sunday the 19th of July is your best early pick. Stent Road sees a clean 6 ft WSW swell with a 16-second period and a light 15 km/h cross-offshore breeze. The energy is a strong 1894. This is clean, powerful, and lined up for the point. Top notch. The next big one is Saturday the 25th of July. This is the standout of the entire forecast. The morning starts glassy with a 4 ft long-period groundswell from the WSW at 20 seconds – that’s very-long period energy, and combined energy of 1858. The afternoon gets even better: a 6 ft WSW groundswell with an 18-second period, glassy as a mirror, and the energy jumps to an impressive 3360. Perfect conditions for the reef, just you and the ocean. This is the one to circle on your calendar.

After that, Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th still offer clean waves in the 5 ft to 6 ft range with cross-offshore winds, but the wind starts to freshen up, and the crowds will be out in force for that glassy Saturday. So, in short: Sunday the 19th is a solid session, but Saturday the 25th of July is the absolute highlight – a glassy, grunty, long-period groundswell with excellent energy. Get on it.

- Rusty

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