
Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, WSW swell with 10,347 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period with SW 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.5m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Piha-The Bar in the next 16 days are 4.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
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.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Fri morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Sun afternoon). Mainly strong winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | W 14 | WSW 13 | SW 11 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | SW 15 | SW 17 | WSW 16 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
1903 | 1470 | 867 | 572 | 479 | 857 | 3104 | 4660 | 2723 | 9515 | 9751 | 8149 | 6963 | 8698 | 4586 | 6034 | 7951 | 8915 | 9214 | 5323 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 00:06AM2.65m | 12:29PM2.59m | 00:44AM2.45m | 1:09PM2.42m | 1:26AM2.26m | 1:57PM2.24m | 2:19AM2.08m | 2:59PM2.10m | 3:31AM1.96m | 4:22PM2.04m | 4:59AM1.95m | 5:42PM2.11m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:22AM0.33m | 6:44PM0.50m | 7:01AM0.53m | 7:27PM0.69m | 7:46AM0.71m | 8:19PM0.87m | 8:42AM0.87m | 9:27PM0.99m | 9:55AM0.96m | 10:48PM1.01m | 11:14AM0.93m | 00:00AM0.91m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | |
6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | W 14 | NW 8 | WSW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 15 | SW 17 | WSW 16 |
1903 | 1470 | 867 | 572 | 479 | 857 | 3104 | 77 | 2417 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8915 | 9214 | 5323 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 20 | SW 6 | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 15 | 31 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 20 | WSW 18 | WSW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 15 | 32 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | NW 6 | WNW 8 | WSW 13 | SW 11 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 11 | 104 | 741 | 4660 | 2723 | 9515 | 9751 | 8149 | 6963 | 8698 | 4586 | 6034 | 7951 | 7044 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 231 | 231 | 231 | 339 | 8 | 325 | 249 | 73 | 124 | 195 | 187 | 195 | 337 | 337 | 362 | 253 | 262 | 339 | 364 | 231 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










