Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. We’ve got one spot on the radar for this forecast period, and it’s a proper big-wave arena. Let’s get into it.

Piha-The-Bar is the only show in town, and it’s not for the faint-hearted. This is an exposed, advanced-only break that’s fairly consistent, but we’re looking at a real mixed bag over the next two and a half weeks. The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The outlook kicks off with a beast of a swell on Saturday the 25th of July, but it’s a write-off. We’re talking a massive 21ft swell from the WSW, but the wind is howling from the WSW at 28 mph, creating a strong cross-shore mess. The combined energy is a staggering 12751, but the conditions are just poor. Don’t even think about it.

The first real window of opportunity arrives on Sunday morning the 26th. The swell drops to a still-chunky 13ft from the WSW, with a long 15-second period. The wind is light from the N, but it’s a cross-on breeze, so there’s a bit of texture. It’s a marginal call, but it’s surfable. The real standout for this early period is Sunday afternoon the 26th. The swell drops to 12ft from the WSW, still with a solid 14-second period, and the wind swings to a light offshore from the SE, 6 mph. This is clean, proper surf. The combined energy is 4456, meaning there’s plenty of power. This is your best bet for the first week, but remember, 12ft at Piha is a serious paddle, and the long period will make it grind. It’s only for the experienced crew.

Monday the 27th hangs in there with 8ft to 10ft swell and clean conditions, but the energy is dropping. Tuesday the 28th morning is still looking clean with a 6ft swell from the WSW and a light offshore from the SE. The energy is down to 985, so it’s weaker, but it’s a nice, clean window for those who can handle the size.

After Tuesday, the surf drops off dramatically. From Wednesday the 29th through to the end of July, the swell is below 7ft, the winds are messy, and the energy is weak. There’s a gap of poor to marginal conditions that lasts for several days.

Looking into the second week, things get interesting again. On Saturday the 1st of August, the swell picks back up to 10ft from the W, but the wind is cross-on from the NNE, so it’s not clean. The real tease is Monday the 4th of August. Tuesday afternoon the 4th of August is the absolute standout of the entire outlook. The swell is 10ft from the WSW, with a very long 16-second period, and the wind is a light offshore from the ESE at 3 mph. The combined energy is a massive 6593. This is exceptional surf, but it’s for experts only. That 10ft groundswell with a long period will be barrelling, but at Piha, that long period can make it a bit too straight and closey. Still, offshore wind at Piha is a gift.

The rest of the second week sees consistent swell, mostly in the 7ft to 12ft range, but the winds are a mix of cross-off and cross-shore, keeping it from being perfect. The energy stays moderate to strong, but the conditions are generally marginal. The crowds are a possibility at Piha, but with this size and the advanced nature of the wave, the lineup will thin out to the dedicated crew.

To sum it up: you’ve got a few good windows, but the two true standouts are Sunday afternoon the 26th of July and Tuesday afternoon the 4th of August. Both offer clean, powerful surf, but both demand respect. The rest of the time, it’s either too big and blown out, or too small. For the average punter, this is a long-range forecast with a lot of waiting. But for the hardcore, there are a couple of sessions worth circling on the calendar.

Rusty.

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