Piha-The Bar Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.95° S 174.47° E

Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 20 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Piha-The Bar sea temperature is
14.7° C
0.1° 

Piha-The Bar surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 16s period, WSW swell with 14,683 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period with WSW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Piha-The Bar this week:

The surf forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 22s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Piha-The Bar in the next 16 days are 5.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 12PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Mon 20th Jul)7ft (2.1m) 14s
Best Surf 3PM (Mon 20th Jul)7ft (2.1m) 14s
Most Powerful 6AM (Sun 26th Jul)18ft (5.5m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s coming up for Piha-The-Bar (New Zealand). We’ve got a window of surf on offer, but we have to be patient. There’s nothing happening right now, but the first real chance to get wet kicks off on Monday, 20 July.

The early part of the run is all about a solid SW groundswell with a 14-second period that’s packing some serious punch. The combined wave energy is high, hitting 2155 (moderate to strong) on Monday morning. It’s not quite clicking then, with a light cross breeze making things a bit ordinary. But hold on – Monday afternoon shows a real improvement. The wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the ENE, and the swell cleans up with 7ft of SW swell. The energy is still strong at 1777, and the conditions are clean. This is a standout for advanced surfers only though, as anything over 5ft is getting big for beginners, and this is solid.

Tuesday, 21 July, is the real gem. The morning serves up clean offshore wind from the SE, with a 6ft SW groundswell (14-second period) and a combined energy of 1161 (moderate). It’s clean, organised, and the offshore wind will be a dream. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook – the wind is perfect, the swell is a great size for experienced surfers, and the wave quality will be excellent. Tuesday afternoon stays clean with a slight cross-off breeze, still holding 6ft of SW swell. It’s going to be a good day.

Then we hit a lull. Wednesday, 22 July into Thursday morning, 23 July, sees the swell drop and the wind turns messy. The only highlight in this stretch is Thursday morning, 23 July, when the wind goes completely glassy (0 mph from the NE) and the swell is a clean 5ft from the SW with a period of 13 seconds and energy at 868 (moderate). That’s a very clean, small morning session for anyone who can sneak out.

From Friday, 24 July, things get wild. A strong W/SW wind kicks up, and the swell balloons. Friday afternoon turns into a complete mess – 7ft of short-period, wind-driven slop. The weekend of 25-26 July sees a massive pulse of SW groundswell, with the swell hitting 13ft to 18ft and combined energy readings climbing to 9216 and then 19262 (very strong). The wind is howling, and it’s just too big and messy. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, it’s going to be a battle. A setup like this at a beach break might be more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers.

The oversized swell continues right through the start of August, with 18ft to 21ft swells and high energy levels (often over 10,000). The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, which makes it a wild, dangerous mess. Even when the wind is favourable, the swell is too big for this break.

The long-range outlook finally shows some light at the end of the tunnel on Tuesday, 4 August. The morning brings a clean offshore breeze from the SSE, with a 12ft WSW groundswell (13-second period) and a combined energy of 4141 (strong). It’s still big, solid expert territory, but the offshore wind will make it clean and powerful. That’s a promising, but distant, standout.

So, to sum it up: grab your best wave for the clean Tuesday morning, 21 July. That’s the pick of the bunch. The rest of the run is either too small, too windy, or way too big. Stay safe out there.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu afternoon, strong winds from the WSW by Fri night).

Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
3
4
4
3
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.2
WSW
14
2.1
WSW
14
1.8
SW
14
1.7
SW
14
1.7
SW
13
1.5
SW
13
1.3
SW
12
1.1
SW
12
0.9
SW
12
1.4
SW
14
1.9
SW
13
1.7
WSW
13
1.3
WSW
12
2.5
WNW
7
3.5
WSW
9
4
WSW
14
4
WSW
17
5.5
WSW
16
5.5
WSW
16
5.5
WSW
15
5.5
WSW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2053
1759
1196
1058
1011
746
486
330
205
788
1200
983
488
668
1915
5934
10188
14266
13976
11961
10038
Wind (km/h)
10
NE
10
E
20
E
10
ESE
15
SSW
10
SSW
20
SW
20
SW
15
WSW
15
WSW
15
W
15
WNW
20
N
30
NW
45
WSW
35
WSW
35
WNW
35
WSW
40
WSW
45
WSW
45
SW
Wind State
cross
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
High Tide
1:49PM2.50m
2:08AM2.54m
2:39PM2.37m
2:57AM2.35m
3:34PM2.25m
3:53AM2.20m
4:36PM2.17m
4:58AM2.11m
5:43PM2.16m
6:05AM2.10m
6:46PM2.21m
7:06AM2.15m
7:40PM2.32m
Low Tide
8:02PM0.46m
8:32AM0.46m
8:53PM0.64m
9:23AM0.61m
9:50PM0.79m
10:19AM0.73m
10:53PM0.88m
11:20AM0.79m
11:59PM0.90m
12:22PM0.78m
1:00AM0.85m
1:19PM0.71m
1:53AM0.75m
cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
cloud
part cloud
light rain
thunderstorm
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:28
7:28
7:28
7:28
7:26
7:26
7:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:27
5:27
5:28
5:29
5:30
5:30
5:30
 mm
2
1
2
1
11
6
1
5
2
2
4
Temp °C
13
14
9
11
12
13
13
13
14
14
14
13
12
13
12
12
13
13
12
12
12
Feels °C
11
12
4
9
9
10
9
9
10
11
10
10
7
8
4
4
6
6
3
2
3
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Piha-The Bar Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Piha-The Bar provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Piha-The Bar can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Piha-The Bar 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 (Piha-The Bar) 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 Piha-The Bar 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.

Piha-The Bar is 12 km (7 miles) from the city of Auckland. If you plan a holiday in Auckland, look for hotels and other accommodation in Auckland. Auckland has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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