Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period, WSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with 7,701 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period with WSW 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 17s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Piha-The Bar in the next 16 days are 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s on the menu for Piha.
First off, the big story for the next couple of weeks is that we’ve got a serious run of heavy, powerful SW groundswell hammering the coast. The combined energy numbers are massive, hitting 6798 on Monday morning, and staying in the thousands for days. This isn’t a beginner’s playground. At 13 ft, that’s big, powerful, and dangerous. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is close to average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
Now, for the here and now. Monday morning, the 24th of August, is about as raw as it gets. The swell is at 13 ft from the WSW, with a 14-second period. That’s a lot of water moving around. The wind is a cross-offshore out of the SW at 12 mph, which will keep things clean for the advanced crew. The combined energy is a staggering 6798, so this is proper, powerful groundswell. This is for the experienced only. The afternoon sees the wind ease a touch to 9 mph and go more cross-shore, but the swell holds at 13 ft with a 15-second period. It’s still a beast.
Tuesday, the 25th, the swell drops to 10 ft, but the wind turns ugly. It’s a cross-onshore breeze from the WSW at 12 mph, and the combined energy is still huge at 4407. The quality is shot, and the scores reflect that. This continues through Wednesday and Thursday, with the swell slowly dropping from 8 ft down to 6 ft, but the wind stays cross-onshore, creating chop and messing up the lines.
We hit a bit of a lull on Friday the 28th. The swell drops to around 3 ft, and the wind is onshore from the north. It’s pretty poor, with combined energy dropping to 776. This is the low point of the run.
The weekend brings a bit of a mixed bag. Saturday the 29th sees the swell back up to 6 ft from the WSW, with a 12-second period, but the wind is cross-shore. It’s a bit lumpy, but rideable. Then Sunday the 30th is a weird one: the swell is small at 3 ft, but the period is an incredible 18 seconds. That’s very long period groundswell, which means it’ll be clean and peeling at the right spots, but very inconsistent. The wind though, is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, making it lumpy. The energy is still moderate at 1256.
The big, raw swell returns on Monday the 31st of August. Swell jumps to 12 ft from the SW, with a shorter 10-second period, and the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore. The combined energy is back up to 3105. It’s messy, powerful, and for experts only.
The first week of September is a write-off for quality. The swell holds at 10 ft to 12 ft, but the wind is either strong cross-onshore or, on the 4th and 5th of September, straight onshore from the northwest at 22 to 25 mph, with rain and even a risk of thunderstorms. The conditions are poor, this is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle board.
The best window of the entire outlook is the morning of Monday the 7th of September. The wind goes glassy, dead calm, out of the ENE at 3 mph. The swell is a solid 8 ft from the WSW with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is 2292. This is excellent for experienced surfers. The conditions are clean, the sets will be powerful and long. This is the standout. That morning is the one to circle.
The following Tuesday, the 8th, sees the swell back to 7 ft with a very long 19-second period, but the wind is onshore from the NW. The energy is huge at 5612, but the wind messes it up.
So, the honest call: the best surf by far is the glassy morning on Monday the 7th of September. That’s your moment. Everything else is either too big, too windy, or a bit of a battle. The rest of the time, it’s a battle of power against the wind.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 12 | WSW 14 | WNW 9 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
6798 | 7701 | 5634 | 4407 | 3526 | 2655 | 2546 | 2946 | 2122 | 1427 | 1289 | 1081 | 615 | 538 | 444 | 679 | 736 | 831 | 850 | 1321 | 2234 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 7:17PM2.27m | 7:37AM2.23m | 8:03PM2.43m | 8:20AM2.38m | 8:42PM2.60m | 8:58AM2.53m | 9:17PM2.74m | 9:34AM2.65m | 9:51PM2.85m | 10:08AM2.74m | 10:24PM2.91m | 10:43AM2.80m | 10:58PM2.93m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:54PM0.78m | 1:30AM0.77m | 1:44PM0.63m | 2:14AM0.60m | 2:25PM0.47m | 2:52AM0.43m | 3:03PM0.33m | 3:28AM0.27m | 3:38PM0.21m | 4:03AM0.15m | 4:14PM0.14m | 4:37AM0.08m | 4:49PM0.11m | ||||||||
6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | |
— | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 12 | WNW 8 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 | WSW 20 | WSW 18 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 |
6798 | 7701 | 5634 | 4407 | 3526 | 2655 | 2546 | 2946 | 2122 | 1427 | 1289 | 1081 | 615 | 267 | 421 | 679 | 736 | 432 | 609 | 759 | 635 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 23 | WNW 8 | NW 7 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | — | WSW 12 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 111 | 103 | 463 | 538 | 50 | 162 | 79 | 60 | 46 | — | 403 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | WSW 23 | SW 22 | WSW 21 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | 51 | 119 | 248 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 4 | — | WNW 9 | — | — | WSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | 444 | — | — | 831 | 850 | 1321 | 2234 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 231 | 231 | 231 | 231 | 231 | 231 | 231 | 339 | 289 | 106 | 312 | 1 | 339 | 8 | 44 | 44 | 73 | 44 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Auckland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.











