Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into what’s coming up for Piha.

We’ve got a solid run of surf ahead, but this is definitely not a beginner’s window. The opening days are a bit small, but the real meat of the forecast kicks in around Friday the 14th and builds into a big, powerful swell event. The standout period is absolutely the weekend of the 15th and 16th of August, with massive, clean, heavy groundswell. This is for experienced surfers only.

The water temperature is sitting at 56.3°, which is about 1.6° cooler than average for this time of year – so, pretty much what you’d expect, a bit nippy but nothing wild.

Let’s start at Piha-The-Bar. Tuesday the 11th of August kicks things off with a little 4.3 ft swell from the WSW, with a period of 13 seconds, and a light 5 km/h easterly breeze making it pretty clean. The energy is moderate (885). A nice little intro to the run.

Wednesday the 12th is a write-off. The wind cranks up to 25 km/h from the ENE, making it messy, and the swell drops to 2.9 ft. Not worth paddling out.

Thursday the 13th morning is where it gets interesting. The swell drops to 2.0 ft, but the period is a very long 18 seconds, and the energy is still pumping (772). Wind is a light 10 km/h from the NE. It’ll be clean, but that long period at a beach break like this might make it a bit straight and tricky to line up. It’s a surfer’s challenge.

Then it all kicks off. Friday the 14th of August morning brings a solid 6.2 ft WSW swell, 16-second period, and a light 5 km/h easterly wind. The energy is moderate (2000). This is excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon goes glassy with a 5.6 ft swell and a 5 km/h ESE wind – that’s a major positive for clean, lined-up waves.

Now, the big one. Saturday the 15th of August is the standout. Morning brings a 7.5 ft WSW swell at 17 seconds, with a light 10 km/h SSE wind. The combined energy is strong (3123). The water will be clean. This is a serious, powerful groundswell. It’s not for the faint-hearted. The afternoon sees the swell jump to 9.8 ft, but the wind swings to 25 km/h SSW, making it lumpy. The morning is the window.

Sunday the 16th of August is still pumping. An 8.2 ft swell in the morning with 25 km/h SSW wind makes it a mission, but it’s still cross-off. The energy is very strong (4507). This is a big, heavy day for the experienced crew.

Monday the 17th of August stays big, with 7.2 ft to 9.8 ft swells, but the wind is up to 30 km/h from the south. It’s on the edge of being too messy for paddle surfing, but the power is undeniable.

The surf eases back into the following week. Tuesday the 18th of August is a great call – 6.9 ft swell, 14-second period, and a light 10 km/h southerly, making it clean. The energy is moderate (1710). This is another excellent session for experienced surfers.

Wednesday the 19th of August has a 4.9 ft swell in the morning, but the wind picks up. The afternoon sees a 7.2 ft swell with 20 km/h SSW wind, which is a bit raw.

Thursday the 20th of August morning is a solid option: 6.9 ft swell, 14-second period, light 15 km/h SSW wind. Clean and powerful. The afternoon turns cross-shore, making it a bit choppy.

Friday the 21st of August is a nice, clean 5.2 ft swell with light winds all day. A good, solid session.

After that, the window closes. Saturday the 22nd of August gets messy with onshore winds, Sunday the 23rd gets hammered by a 35 km/h WSW wind, and then we see a massive 13.1 ft swell on Wednesday the 26th of August, but it’s choppy and cross-onshore. That big swell with poor wind is a kite surfer’s dream, not a paddle surfer’s.

The best bet is Saturday the 15th of August morning at Piha-The-Bar for the biggest, cleanest, most powerful groundswell of the run. The 18th of August is a close second for a cleaner, slightly smaller session.

Read more