Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty.

Alright, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Piha. Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a proper mixed bag. We’ve got solid swell on the cards, no doubt about it, but for the most part, the wind is going to be the spoiler. The good news is there’s a couple of windows that look unreal, especially for those who know what they’re doing.

For the experienced crew out there, Piha-The Bar is the only game in town, and it’s a beast. The water temp is sitting at 58°F, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We start out on Tuesday the 15th with a 7ft SW swell and a 14-second period, but that cross-shore wind is going to put a bit of chop on it. The combined energy is solid at 1903 (moderate to strong), but it’s a marginal call at best. Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are pretty grim — onshore winds and building swell make for poor conditions.

Then things get heavy. From Friday the 18th right through the weekend, we’ve got huge SW groundswells pumping in — we’re talking 12ft to 16ft with periods up to 16 seconds. The combined energy is massive, hitting over 9500 (very strong) on Friday afternoon and over 8000 (very strong) on Saturday morning. But the wind is howling cross-shore or cross-onshore at 15–25 mph, so it’s a messy, lumpy, dangerous mess. This is only for the absolute experts, and even then, it’s not going to be pretty.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday the 21st morning brings a 15ft SW groundswell at a long 15-second period, with the combined energy absolutely cranking at 15959 (very strong). The wind is a moderate cross-shore at 15 mph. The forecast notes say the wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is too big for this break. This is expert-only territory, and a real handful.

Skip ahead a few days, and we finally get a proper standout. Thursday the 24th morning is the pick of the bunch. We’ve got a 13ft SW swell with a very long 16-second period, and the combined energy is 7253 (very strong). The wind is glassy — absolutely dead calm at just 3 mph from the SSW. That’s exceptional condition for expert surfers. The long-period SW groundswell will wrap in nicely at a bar setup like this, with clean, lined-up sets. The size is huge, so this is only for the experts, but if you’ve got the skills and the board, this is the session to aim for. Crowds are possible at a spot like this when it’s firing.

After that, the second week gets a bit ordinary again. We’ve got persistent swell in the 8ft to 15ft range, but the winds are mostly cross or onshore, keeping things chopped up and marginal. There are a few sessions around the 23rd and 29th of September that have clean cross-offshore winds and big swell, but once again, it’s too big for the break or marginal on the tide.

Overall, there’s one true standout: Thursday the 24th of September morning. Glassy conditions, a massive long-period SW groundswell, and all that energy for the experts. The rest is either too messy or too big, so pick your moment.

Rusty.

Read more