Banks Peninsula - Stony Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Banks Peninsula – Stony Bay over the next couple of weeks.

The water’s sittin’ at about 51°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a nice little bonus, but don’t expect it to feel tropical.

The first few days are pretty ordinary. Saturday morning, 5th September, has some potential with a 4ft swell out of the SSW, period around 12 seconds, and a light NW cross-breeze blowing around 9 mph. The combined energy is moderate at 507. It’s a marginal call, though – more of a longboard cruise if you’re desperate. The northwesterly picks up in the arvo to 19 mph and drops the wave height to 3ft – not worth wettin’ a suit.

Sunday and Monday stay flat and messy with light rain and cross-onshore winds. The swell barely scratches 3ft, and the period is either super long (17 seconds Sunday) or short (9 seconds Monday), neither of which is doing Stony Bay any favours. The energy drops from 489 down to 234 – weak stuff.

Tuesday the 8th sees a shift. The morning’s still poor, but Tuesday afternoon brings a glassy 4ft swell from the ENE, 9-second period, and light winds – 3 mph from the NNE. The energy pushes up to 316, and the conditions are glassy. For a beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly consistent and sometimes crowded, this is your first real window. Clean, small, and easy.

We hit a dry spell Wednesday and Thursday morning – poor conditions and onshore winds. Thursday morning the 10th does offer a glassy 2ft SSW groundswell with a 13-second period, but that’s pretty marginal for most.

Now, Friday 11th September – this is where things start to get interesting. Friday afternoon you’ve got a 5ft SSW swell, 18-second period – that’s a proper groundswell – and glassy conditions with zero wind. The combined energy jumps to 1622, which is strong. The break is a fairly exposed beach setup, and with that long period, it might stand up a little straight, but for experienced surfers, this is excellent. The morning is a write-off with 12 mph north winds and messy conditions, but that arvo glass-off is the standout of the first week.

Saturday 12th September is for experts only. The morning brings a 13ft SSW swell at 11 seconds and a clean offshore SW wind at 12 mph. Energy is huge at 3937. Stony Bay can’t handle that size – it’s too big for this break, so unless you’re a charger on a big wave gun, give it a miss. The afternoon stays big at 12ft.

Sunday 13th is still solid at 10ft from the S, 12-second period, and clean offshore SW winds in the morning. Energy is 2390 – very strong. This is again for experienced surfers only, with waves well over 8ft. The afternoon turns on light rain and a 16 mph SSW cross-off breeze – clean but a bit lumpy.

Monday 14th September morning is the next real highlight: glassy conditions, a 6ft SSW swell at 15 seconds, energy at 1463 – that’s strong and clean. Perfect for a solid session. The afternoon gets messy with a 12 mph cross-onshore breeze.

The second week gets patchy. Tuesday 15th offers a 5ft S swell at 12 seconds, energy 1031, with light cross-shore winds – nothing flash but surfable. Wednesday 16th drops in quality, and by Thursday 17th it’s all onshore junk. Friday 18th is a write-off – strong winds and lumpy conditions.

The last worthwhile window is Sunday 20th September – the morning brings a glassy 6ft SSE swell, 8-second period, energy at 460. Clean, easy, and suitable for beginners. The afternoon goes onshore.

Overall, the best sessions are Friday 11th afternoon for experienced surfers, and Monday 14th morning for a solid clean session. For beginners, Tuesday 8th afternoon and Sunday 20th morning are your safest bets.

Rusty.

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