Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got your 16-day outlook for Piha.

Alright, look, the first week is a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s a real standout session that’s got my heart racing. The overall pattern is a long, powerful SW groundswell that hangs around for days, but the wind is the tricky part. Most of the time, that solid swell is getting chopped up by cross-offshore or onshore breezes, keeping things from being truly epic. But there’s one golden window.

The action kicks off on Monday the 17th with a big 12 ft SW swell rolling in, but it’s a cross-off 12 mph wind. The energy is massive (5023), but it’s a bit raw and the forecast calls it marginal. Not the best start. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th keep the swell in the 7 ft to 7 ft range, still with that persistent cross-off wind, and the energy remains strong. It’s surfable, but it’s not clean.

Then we hit the true standout. Thursday morning, the 20th of August. The swell drops a touch to 7 ft from the SW, but the wind goes glassy – a 3 mph SSE breeze. That’s clean, lined-up waves with a solid 14-second period. The energy is still strong (2004), and for an experienced surfer, this is as good as it gets. This is the one to circle. The water temp is 57°, which is about average for this time of year.

Friday the 21st through Sunday the 23rd is a write-off. The wind turns onshore and the quality dives. By Saturday the 23rd, an 8 ft, short-period (8 sec) NW windswell shows up with 19 mph winds. That’s a messy, blown-out scene. We get a gap of poor conditions until the 24th.

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th see a monster 10 ft to 12 ft SW groundswell, but it’s hammered by cross-onshore winds. The energy is huge (over 5000), but it’s a lumpy, choppy mess. Beach breaks would be better for kite surfing than a paddle. The 26th is no better with onshore winds.

But don’t write this window off. Thursday the 27th brings a welcome change. The swell drops to a clean 7 ft from the WSW, and the wind swings to a light 6 mph cross-off from the east. The energy is solid (1269), and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. It’s a late-week gem.

Friday the 28th afternoon is another one to note – 4 ft SW swell, light 6 mph cross-off wind, and excellent conditions. It’s smaller, but clean. Saturday the 29th afternoon looks promising too: 8 ft from the west, glassy winds, and excellent conditions (1906 energy). That’s a solid session.

The final days of the outlook into the 30th and 31st are a mix of cross-shore winds and smaller swells, nothing to get too excited about. The first of September brings a 7 ft SW groundswell, but the onshore breeze chops it up.

So, the two true standouts: Thursday morning, the 20th of August, and Thursday morning, the 27th of August. The first is the best of the bunch – big, clean, and powerful. The second is a slightly smaller but still excellent clean option.

Rusty.

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