Piha-The Bar Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.95° S 174.47° E

Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 01 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Piha-The Bar sea temperature is
14.1°C
0.0° 

Piha-The Bar surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 16s period, WSW swell with 11,185 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s 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 (Sep 01) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 5.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 24s. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Piha-The Bar in the next 16 days are 5.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12PM (Tue 1st Sep)16ft (5.0m) 14s
Best Surf12PM (Tue 1st Sep)16ft (5.0m) 14s
Most Powerful 3AM (Mon 7th Sep)16ft (5.0m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Piha-The-Bar (New Zealand) trying to find a wave worth paddling for. The honest truth is, this is a real tough stretch. The swell is constantly pumping, but it’s mostly too big, too messy, or the wind is just screaming. There’s a solid 8-day gap of poor to marginal surf conditions from Tuesday the 1st of September through to Tuesday the 8th of September, with no real standout. It’s not until the second week that we start to see a flicker of hope.

So, let’s be real: the best window to even consider a paddle is shaping up around Saturday the 12th of September. The morning still looks average with a 12ft WSW swell and moderate cross-shore wind, but the afternoon cleans up noticeably. The wind swings to a moderate cross-shore, the swell holds at 12ft from the WSW with a 17-second period, and the combined wave energy is a solid 6813 – that’s strong, powerful groundswell energy. It’s still a big wave, over 8ft, so this is for the experienced crew only. The long period will make it grind nicely at this exposed bar, and if the wind plays ball, it could be the pick of the whole forecast. The water is sitting around 57°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Another date to pencil in for the advanced surfers is Wednesday the 16th of September. The morning session is the standout: a 7ft swell from the SW, 13-second period, and clean text with a light offshore breeze from the S. The combined energy is 1934, which is moderate, but the offshore wind is gold. That’s the kind of morning where Piha-The-Bar can actually show its face. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others with the same idea, but it’s worth it. The break is fairly consistent, so you can bank on waves.

Outside of those two windows, the rest is a write-off. The first week is plagued by strong cross-shore and onshore winds, with swell heights often over 10ft and bad quality. The water temp anomaly is flat, so nothing weird going on there. It’s a rough run, but the two Saturday and Wednesday windows are your best bets. Keep an eye on the forecast, because it can change, but for now, mark those dates.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Sat night, strong winds from the NNW by Sun afternoon).

Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
!
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
3
4
3
3
2
0
0
0
0
!
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
5
SW
14
4.5
SW
14
4
SW
14
3.5
WSW
14
3
WSW
13
2.5
WSW
13
2.3
WSW
14
2.1
WSW
14
2
WSW
12
3
WSW
14
3
W
9
3.5
WSW
15
4
WSW
14
4
WSW
14
3.5
WSW
14
3.5
WSW
15
2.5
WSW
16
4
WSW
16
5
WSW
12
5
WSW
14
5
WSW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
10061
8471
5879
3959
3102
2553
1945
1848
1063
3521
1764
5267
5713
5508
4556
4435
3705
8333
7123
10522
9066
Wind (km/h)
35
SW
30
SW
25
WSW
25
W
25
W
20
W
15
WNW
20
WNW
20
NNW
35
NW
25
WSW
30
WSW
20
WSW
20
WSW
15
NNW
20
N
40
NNW
35
W
40
WSW
40
WSW
25
SW
Wind State
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
High Tide
11:56AM2.77m
00:11AM2.79m
12:37PM2.69m
00:54AM2.65m
1:24PM2.56m
1:45AM2.47m
2:21PM2.42m
2:49AM2.31m
3:35PM2.32m
4:12AM2.21m
5:03PM2.33m
5:41AM2.24m
6:22PM2.46m
Low Tide
6:07PM0.22m
6:30AM0.19m
6:51PM0.34m
7:16AM0.33m
7:43PM0.49m
8:11AM0.49m
8:46PM0.64m
9:18AM0.62m
10:03PM0.73m
10:37AM0.66m
11:26PM0.69m
11:55AM0.59m
00:40AM0.54m
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
heavy rain
rain showers
rain showers
cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:43
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:37
6:35
6:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:00
6:01
6:01
6:02
6:04
6:05
6:06
 mm
2
6
15
2
1
Temp °C
13
13
13
14
15
14
15
15
14
15
15
13
14
14
13
15
16
14
13
13
12
Feels °C
5
6
7
9
10
10
12
11
11
9
11
7
10
10
11
10
9
8
4
5
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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