Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period, WSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with 7,511 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period with WSW 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 Sunday (Jul 26) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Piha-The Bar in the next 16 days are 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, Rusty here, checkin’ in on the Piha-The-Bar forecast. This one’s got some serious muscle early on, but you gotta pick your moments.
The start of the run is a no-go for most. Sunday the 26th has a massive 13-foot southwest groundswell hitting the beach, with combined swell energy over 7500 – that’s a lot of water moving. Morning wind is cross-on with light rain, so it’s sloppy and dangerous. Not for the faint of heart.
Sunday afternoon flips the script. Offshore wind from the SE at 9 mph cleans up that 12-foot swell (14-second period), and the energy drops a bit to 4456, but the conditions go “gentle offshore and clean.” This is a standout window for advanced surfers only. If you’re not in that league, stay out.
Monday the 27th is smaller at 8 feet with cleaner winds but lower quality. Tuesday the 28th morning is a good window: offshore SE wind at 6 mph, 6-foot SW swell, 12-second period, and “excellent for experienced surfers.” That’s a fun, manageable session for the regulars.
Wednesday and Thursday are flat and choppy – not worth the drive.
Now, Saturday the 1st of August is the big one. Morning shows 13-foot WSW groundswell with 14-second period, energy at 5426 – it’s pumping again, but light cross-onshore. But Saturday afternoon goes glassy. A 3 mph easterly, 12 feet of clean SW swell, and energy at 4856. Rated excellent for experienced surfers. That’s the best session of the entire run.
Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd keep clean, offshore winds with dropping swell. Monday brings a very long 18-second period groundswell – only 4 feet, but with 1265 energy, that long period will make the bar set up nicely. Just watch for the rips.
The second week holds clean offshore winds on Tuesday the 4th through Thursday the 6th, with swell in the 5-to-8-foot range. Water temp is average for the time of year, so a 3/2 wetsuit is the call.
It fades to small, clean surf from the 7th onward. There’s a short-period windswell on Monday the 10th at 7 feet, but onshore wind at 15 mph makes it a kite-surf day more than a paddle session.
Bottom line: Sunday afternoon the 26th and Saturday afternoon the 1st of August are your standouts. Big, clean, powerful groundswell. This is Piha at its best, but it demands respect.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Sat night, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sat night, calm by Sun morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Tue night, fresh winds from the WNW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WNW 10 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 13443 | 7511 | 4456 | 3408 | 2318 | 2274 | 1345 | 1029 | 731 | 458 | 359 | 311 | 691 | 1283 | 1034 | 479 | 1166 | 969 | 4877 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:06AM2.15m | 7:40PM2.32m | 7:58AM2.26m | 8:26PM2.44m | 8:42AM2.37m | 9:07PM2.57m | 9:22AM2.47m | 9:44PM2.68m | 9:59AM2.56m | 10:20PM2.76m | 10:35AM2.61m | 10:54PM2.81m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:00AM0.85m | 1:19PM0.71m | 1:53AM0.75m | 2:08PM0.60m | 2:38AM0.62m | 2:50PM0.49m | 3:19AM0.50m | 3:29PM0.38m | 3:56AM0.39m | 4:06PM0.29m | 4:32AM0.30m | 4:41PM0.24m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — |
mm | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 13 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WNW 9 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
| kJ | — | 7511 | 4456 | 3408 | 2318 | 2274 | 1345 | 1029 | 731 | 458 | 359 | 311 | 691 | 1283 | 1034 | 479 | 1166 | 969 | 4877 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | SW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 11 | SW 16 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 18 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 11 | 26 | 31 | 171 | 328 | 129 | 211 | 334 | 955 | 104 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | — | — | — | SSW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | N 3 | N 3 | NNW 5 | NW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | NW 8 |
| kJ | 13443 | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 301 | 943 | 697 | 153 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 85 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 73 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 127 | 325 | 107 | 75 | 44 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Auckland | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Piha-The Bar surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest