Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The forecast shows a wild start with some serious, dangerous swell, but then it cleans up for a killer window. The standout is without a doubt Sunday morning, July 26th, with a proper glassy session on offer.

Piha-The-Bar is our only break on the radar, and it’s a well-known, exposed black-sand beach that handles a southwest swell. Right now, Saturday the 25th is a write-off. We’re looking at a massive, messy 13ft swell from the west with a short 9-second period, smacked by a 25 mph cross-onshore wind. The combined wave energy is a massive 2727, but it’s just ugly and dangerous. That afternoon it gets even bigger at 21ft, but the wind is still strong and cross-shore. That’s a hard pass, mate.

But hold on. Sunday morning, July 26th, is the real deal. The swell drops to a solid 13ft, but it’s now from the west-southwest with a very long 15-second period. The real magic is the wind: glassy, absolute zero, with a slight air. The energy is still high at 7610, but it’s going to be clean and lined up. This is strictly for experts only, as it’s way over 8ft. The long period means it might be a bit shifty in the rip, but on its day, Piha at this size with glass is a world-class wave. Crowds are possible, so get there early.

Sunday afternoon drops slightly to 12ft, still with a long 14-second period, and the wind swings to a clean cross-off from the south-southeast. It’s excellent for experienced surfers, but not quite the magic of the morning glass.

Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th offer clean, dropping swell. Monday sees 8ft with a cross-off breeze and a 13-second period, but the forecast calls it marginal. Tuesday morning is a highlight with a clean 6ft, offshore wind from the southeast, and a 12-second period – the energy is moderate at 933, and it looks very good for a solid session.

The middle of the week, from Wednesday the 29th through to Friday the 31st, gets quieter and a bit messy. The swell drops under 7ft, but the wind is cross-on or cross-shore, making it choppy and marginal. The energy drops into the low hundreds and thousands. Not worth the paddle, really.

Then we get a bit of a rehab period. The first weekend of August (the 1st and 2nd) is mostly cross-shore and onshore winds with swell around 8ft, and the energy is still moderate, but it’s messy and poor. Monday the 3rd is a write-off with strong winds again.

The real second-week standout looks like Wednesday morning, August 5th. The swell is 8ft from the west-southwest, with a long 15-second period, and the wind is offshore from the southeast, making it clean. The energy is 2544, and it’s called excellent for experienced surfers. That’s the one to circle on the calendar, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

After that, Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th look very good, with clean, dropping swell in the 5ft to 5ft range, offshore winds, and moderate energy. The last few days of the outlook, from Saturday the 8th, see the swell fading to 4ft and under, with clean conditions, but it’s getting small.

So, in a nutshell: avoid the dangerous start, set your alarm for glassy Sunday the 26th for the big stuff, and keep an eye on Wednesday the 5th for a cleaner, more moderate session.

Rusty.

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