Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with 14,223 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 13s 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 20s. 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 6.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 20ft (6.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Piha. We’ve got a solid 16-day window, but it’s a real mixed bag. The first few days have some clean, powerful swell, but then a massive storm blows through, making it unsurfable for a while. After that, it cleans up again for a couple of decent sessions. The main event is definitely around Monday the 27th and then again in the first week of August.
Alright, let’s start with the first action. On Tuesday the 21st, we’ve got a decent SW groundswell rolling in at 6ft with a 14-second period, which gives it heaps of energy (1058). The morning is the pick here—light ESE wind off the land, keeping things clean. That’s proper surf for advanced lads only. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Wednesday the 22nd isn’t great. The swell drops to 5ft, but the wind swings onshore and gets messy. By Thursday the 23rd, we’re back in business. The morning is glassy, with a 5ft SW swell and a 14-second period (1028). That’s a beautiful, clean window for the experienced crew. The afternoon turns a bit bumpy, so get it in the morning.
Now, Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are a write-off. The wind goes ballistic—on Saturday we’re looking at 31 mph winds and a massive 18ft to 21ft swell (combined energy of 7841 to 13779). That’s not paddle surfing; that’s survival or kite territory. Sunday the 26th is still huge, with a 16ft swell and a very long 15-second period (11179). The morning is cross-shore, but the swell is just too big for this break. It’s for experts only, and even then, it’s a handful.
The standout of the whole run is Monday the 27th. The morning is clean, with light SSE wind, and a solid 12ft SW swell (3976). That’s powerful, long-period groundswell, and it’ll be firing. The crowd situation at Piha can be an issue, so expect a few out there. This is the best on offer.
After that, the swell backs off, but conditions stay average. We get a couple of small windows, like Sunday the 2nd of August, with a clean 6ft SW swell (1427) and light cross-off wind. The 3rd of August also looks clean with a 5ft swell. Both are solid options, but not as big as that Monday.
So, the long and short of it: the big winner is the morning of Monday the 27th of July. If you’re an advanced surfer, that’s your session. The mornings of the 2nd and 3rd of August are also clean, but with smaller swell. The rest of the forecast is dominated by wind and big, messy conditions.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 6°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat morning, light winds from the NNE by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | W 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 13 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1058 | 1011 | 828 | 724 | 330 | 205 | 975 | 1308 | 983 | 488 | 451 | 1621 | 7841 | 13779 | 11256 | 11179 | 7641 | 4393 | 3741 | 1960 | 1587 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 2:39PM2.37m | 2:57AM2.35m | 3:34PM2.25m | 3:53AM2.20m | 4:36PM2.17m | 4:58AM2.11m | 5:43PM2.16m | 6:05AM2.10m | 6:46PM2.21m | 7:06AM2.15m | 7:40PM2.32m | 7:58AM2.26m | 8:26PM2.44m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:53PM0.64m | 9:23AM0.61m | 9:50PM0.79m | 10:19AM0.73m | 10:53PM0.88m | 11:20AM0.79m | 11:59PM0.90m | 12:22PM0.78m | 1:00AM0.85m | 1:19PM0.71m | 1:53AM0.75m | 2:08PM0.60m | 2:38AM0.62m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | | | |  | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | |  | | | |
 | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — |
 | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | — | — | — | WSW 15 | — | WSW 14 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | 1058 | 1011 | 828 | 724 | 330 | 205 | 975 | 1308 | 983 | 488 | 451 | — | — | — | 11256 | — | 7641 | 4393 | 3741 | 1960 | 1587 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 6 | — | — | — | W 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 31 | 51 | 102 | 121 | 53 | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 3 | — | SW 7 | SSW 7 | — | — | WNW 3 | NW 5 | NW 6 | W 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | — | — | S 6 | S 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | — | 139 | 163 | — | — | 4 | 58 | 219 | 1621 | 7841 | 13779 | 9618 | 11179 | — | — | 235 | 66 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 179 | 101 | 0 | 11 | 289 | 10 | 325 | 116 | 337 | 926 | 44 | 8 | 54 | 44 | 0 | 44 | 44 |
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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