Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 19s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 19s period, SW swell with 15,901 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 19s 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 11) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.5m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 4.0m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Piha-The Bar in the next 16 days are 5.0m 19s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s break down what’s coming for Piha over the next couple of weeks. It’s a wild ride – some proper heavy swell but a lot of windy, messy days to dodge. The best stuff is right at the start and then again late in the run, so plan ahead.
We start on Wednesday, the 9th of September with some clean waves at Piha-The-Bar. Wednesday morning has a light cross-off breeze from the ENE at 6 mph and a nice 5ft SW groundswell with a 12-second period. Water temp is 59° – about average for the time of year. Combined energy is moderate at 843. Then Wednesday afternoon goes dead calm – glassy conditions with 4ft from the same WSW direction. This is your moment for smooth, lined-up surf. Crowds can show up sometimes, but for this quality, it’s alright sharing.
Thursday the 10th turns ugly. Rain showers and onshore winds at 12 mph from the W. Swell builds to 7ft but the quality’s poor. Leave it.
Friday the 11th is heavy. Morning has 10ft of SW groundswell with a very long 19-second period and a clean cross-off breeze from the SSW at 22 mph. Combined energy is 9430 – strong. Only for experienced surfers. Then the afternoon hits 15ft from the SW – combined energy 13805, very strong. That’s too big for most, expert-only.
Saturday and Sunday the 12th and 13th stay massive – 16ft on Saturday, 15ft on Sunday, with cross-shore winds gusting 25–34 mph. Lumpy and messy. These are expert-only or maybe interesting for kite surfers. Too big for a clean paddle.
Monday the 14th drops to 10ft but still cross-shore and a bit lumpy. Not great.
Tuesday the 15th is poor with cross-onshore winds. Sit it out.
Wednesday the 16th through the rest of the second week stays mostly big – 8ft to 12ft – with poor wind alignment and chop. But Tuesday the 22nd afternoon goes glassy with a 13ft SW swell, period 9 seconds – clean but big. Late call if you’re desperate.
The real late standout is Wednesday the 23rd morning – a clean offshore from the SE at 16 mph, 11ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period. Combined energy is 5402, strong. Excellent for experts, clean waves. That’s the one to watch for the second week. But long-range forecasts are promising, not guaranteed.
Bottom line: Wednesday the 9th afternoon glass-off is the best for most. Friday morning the 11th and Wednesday the 23rd morning are for the heavy crew. There’s a stretch of rough days between the 10th and the 16th and again around the 18th–20th, so pick your sessions smart.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed afternoon, strong winds from the SSW by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 18 | WSW 11 | SW 20 | WSW 19 | SW 18 | WSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 575 | 483 | 800 | 835 | 891 | 1567 | 6390 | 13805 | 13399 | 12685 | 12472 | 11669 | 10148 | 9023 | 6731 | 5025 | 4141 | 3151 | 2708 | 2346 | 921 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:15PM2.83m | 8:39AM2.73m | 9:00PM2.96m | 9:22AM2.85m | 9:40PM3.03m | 10:01AM2.92m | 10:18PM3.02m | 10:39AM2.92m | 10:54PM2.95m | 11:15AM2.86m | 11:30PM2.82m | 11:51AM2.75m | 00:06AM2.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:58PM0.25m | 2:30AM0.15m | 2:46PM0.11m | 3:14AM0.02m | 3:29PM0.02m | 3:55AM-0.05m | 4:10PM-0.01m | 4:33AM-0.04m | 4:49PM0.04m | 5:10AM0.03m | 5:27PM0.15m | 5:46AM0.16m | 6:05PM0.31m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 19 | SW 18 | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
| kJ | 575 | 483 | 800 | 785 | 891 | 1498 | 6390 | 13805 | — | — | — | — | 10148 | 9023 | 6731 | 5025 | 4141 | 3151 | 2708 | 2346 | 921 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WSW 21 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | SW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 50 | 288 | 475 | 835 | 608 | 1567 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WSW 25 | SW 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 218 | 17 | 15 | 59 | 259 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WNW 7 | NW 7 | SW 8 | SW 11 | — | WSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | — | — | WSW 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 1145 | 3040 | — | 13399 | 12685 | 12472 | 11669 | — | — | — | — | — | 2626 | — | — | 168 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 10 | 73 | 85 | 81 | 110 | 124 | 85 | 85 | 195 | 138 | 195 | 138 | 228 | 191 | 127 | 231 | 127 | 138 | 127 |
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.
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