Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks have in store for us at Piha.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag. The first real sniff of action comes later on Tuesday the 21st. The swell is already pushing 6ft out of the SW with a solid 13-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the south. That’s going to be clean and meaty for the experienced crew. The water’s sitting at 58°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. The combined energy is pumping at 1011, so there’s some proper grunt in the water.

That Tuesday afternoon window is the real standout of the early part. It’s not huge, but it’s quality. After that, things get a bit messy. Wednesday the 22nd has a cross-shore wind and a dropping swell, and the readings are marginal. Thursday the 23rd isn’t much better, with a cross-on wind and a chop building. Friday the 24th is a write-off with a northerly cross-on and a short period NW wind swell.

Then we hit a massive gap. From Saturday the 25th through to Wednesday the 30th, it’s pretty grim. The swell gets huge – over 13ft on Saturday, but it’s accompanied by gale-force winds and a messy cross-chop. That kind of power is just too much for this spot, and the conditions are poor. It’s a solid week of non-starters.

The next window worth getting excited about is Thursday the 30th of July. The afternoon looks alright with a clean 6ft SW swell and a cross-off breeze from the south. The combined energy is back up to 1776, so the ocean has some life. But the real highlight is Friday the 31st. The morning is glassy – dead calm with an offshore ESE breeze – and an 8ft SW groundswell rolling in with a 15-second period. That’s a long, powerful swell. The energy is massive at 4078. For an exposed spot like Piha, that long period will make for some beautiful, lined-up waves, but it’ll be a lot of water moving around. This one is for the experts only. The afternoon is just as good, with a clean 10ft swell and a light cross-off.

Saturday the 1st of August keeps the goods coming. Another glassy morning, this time with a 10ft SW swell. The energy is still huge at 3982. The wind is dead calm, so it’s going to be pristine. That Friday and Saturday window is the absolute best on offer, no question.

But you have to be careful. Sunday the 2nd of August and Monday the 3rd see the swell jump back up to 15ft again. The wind is better on Monday, with a glassy morning, but for a break like Piha, that size is just too big for anyone but the absolute top-tier chargers. The forecast calls it favorable for wind and tide, but the sheer size is a problem.

After that, the swell drops back down through the first week of August, but the wind turns onshore from the north-west, so the quality is gone. It’s a long run of less-than-ideal conditions.

So, to sum it up: don’t get your hopes up for the next week. The real action is the window from Friday the 31st of July through Saturday the 1st of August. That’s your best bet for clean, powerful, and manageable surf. But it’s a long way off, so keep an eye on the forecasts. For now, that Friday morning glass-off is the one I’d be circling on the calendar.

Rusty.

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