Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for Piha-The-Bar. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows that will get the heart pumping.

First up, let’s talk about the water. It’s sitting right around the average for this time of year, so nothing wild, just your standard winter wetsuit gear.

The start of the run is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a few days of messy, onshore winds and choppy conditions, with wave energy low to moderate. Friday the 21st is a write-off with a cross-on breeze and a 6ft swell that’s just not clean. Saturday and Sunday are even worse, with strong winds and a sloppy, short-period swell that’s not worth paddling out for. A big spike in energy on Sunday the 23rd hits 12ft but it’s lumpy and blown out – definitely a day for the kite crew, not the paddle crew.

Things start to get interesting on Monday the 24th. We’ve got a massive 13ft to 15ft groundswell (15-second period) rolling in from the WSW. The energy is huge, reading 7284 to 7774 on the scale. This is proper expert territory – way too big for beginners. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, which keeps it a little lumpy, but there’s enough power here to make for a serious session for the experienced crew. The outlook says it might be too big for the break, but for those who know the Peak, it’ll be a beast.

The swell drops back through the 7-10ft range for the rest of the week, but the wind stays a bit rubbish, mostly cross-on or cross-shore with chop. We’ll call it a wash for the rest of the week.

Now, hold onto your boardies, because the real standout is the weekend of the 29th and 30th. Saturday morning the 29th is looking glassy with a 10ft SW swell. The wind is virtually nothing, just a slight air. That’s clean, powerful surf. Energy is still strong at 2924. This is the best of the run for sure. Then Sunday morning the 30th is even cleaner with a light offshore breeze from the SSE. The swell is 5ft but with a very long 18-second period, giving it some serious grunt. That’s a groundswell that will wrap in beautifully. Both mornings are calling for excellent conditions for experienced surfers.

The run then fades out into early September with some smaller, cleaner swells, but nothing to get too excited about. The Monday the 31st has a nice 5ft groundswell from the WSW with a cross-offshore breeze, so it’s a solid option for a quieter session. From there, it’s a slow fade with smaller, wind-affected surf.

So, the pick of the litter is Saturday morning the 29th for the glassy, powerful 10ft SW swell, and Sunday morning the 30th for the clean, long-period 5ft WSW groundswell. The 24th is a big wave day for experts only. Fair warning, this is all a bit far out, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Rusty.

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