Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for Piha-The-Bar.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 58°, which is right around average for this time of year—nothing unusual. The big story for the next week or so is that we’ve got a *lot* of swell energy rolling in, but the wind is the villain most days. There’s solid, heavy groundswell with periods consistently between 14 and 17 seconds, but that 8ft to 13ft range is going to be messy on the bar because of strong onshore or cross-off winds. A lot of this window is looking more like a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.

The best bet in the whole 16-day window lands on Monday, the 7th into Tuesday morning, the 8th. Monday afternoon is the standout: the swell holds at 10ft from the WSW, but the wind swings to a light 6 mph cross-off from the east. That’s the only session marked as “excellent” for experienced surfers, with clean conditions (4499 combined energy – that’s strong, solid wave energy). Tuesday morning is the backup, with a light 6 mph cross-on from the west, not quite as clean but still workable for the experienced crew. The long-period groundswell (15 seconds) will produce well-shaped, powerful waves, but the bar might hold them a bit straight with that period—still, the wind will be your friend here.

After that, the middle of the second week (around September 11th to 12th) sees a big jump in size with 18ft to 20ft swell and 25 mph winds. That’s not a paddling day—the combined energy hits 22,707 to 45,185, which is extreme, but the forecast itself says it’s too big for the break. Only for the kamikaze crew, and that’s not a recommendation.

Later in the second week, Thursday the 17th morning looks interesting again: clean, cross-off wind from the SSW at 12 mph, with a 6ft swell from the WSW. That’s a lighter day but period is 18 seconds – that’s a very long groundswell. On the bar, that long period can make things a bit straight, but with offshore wind, it’s worth a look for the experienced surfer who knows the bank. Energy is still moderate at 3729.

Then Friday the 18th is the cleanest session of the whole outlook. The wind turns offshore from the SSE at 6 mph, with a 7ft WSW swell at 15 seconds. That’s another “excellent” call, with clean conditions and only 2184 combined energy—moderate, but the quality will be there. Crowds are sometimes an issue at Piha, and with conditions this good, expect company.

Don’t bother with the days of rain, 19+ mph onshores, or the monster 18ft-plus days. The two true standouts are Monday afternoon the 7th and Friday the 18th morning. Those are your windows.

Rusty.

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