Stent Road • Statistics for October

October: Transitional Turbulence

October is often the most frustrating month at Stent Road. The average swell remains solid at 2.1m (6.9ft) with an 11.9-second period, so there's no shortage of waves. WSW swells are still the main driver at 38.1%, with W at 15.4% and WNW at 6.9%. But wind conditions are the worst of the year, with ideal surf only 13% of the time. The onshore westerlies are relentless - WSW, W, and WNW together account for over 37% of the wind distribution, and even NW and NNW add another 15.5%. Southeast offshore winds are scarce at just 6.5%. This creates a lot of stormy, cross-onshore slop, even when the swell is pumping. Air temps start to rise to 13.2°C from a min of 7.4°C, and water is still cold at 14.4°C. Precipitation eases slightly to 3.96 mm/day. For the dedicated surfer, the month is about waiting for the rare easterly wind day and taking the scraps.