Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 13,540 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s 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 Saturday (Sep 12) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 2.5m and 16s. 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 5.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 3s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. For this stretch, it’s all about Piha-The Bar. This is an advanced wave, and it’s fairly consistent, but the first few days are all about raw power.
The pattern is a big, long-period groundswell that’s just too much for the early part of the window. The water is about average for the season.
Saturday, September 12th is a beast. A 15ft SW swell with a short 11-second period, and the energy is a massive 7973. The wind is a strong cross-off, so it’s clean, but that size is too big for the break. It’s expert territory. The afternoon drops to 10ft with a 16-second period, still a very strong 8151 energy, but the tide conditions are tricky.
Sunday, September 13th is similar. 15ft in the morning with lumpy cross-shore wind. The afternoon is 13ft with a cross-chop.
Monday, September 14th sees a 12ft morning, still too big. The afternoon is a 10ft wave with a clean cross-off, but the energy is 4698. It’s clean, but still big.
Tuesday, September 15th is the first day that drops below 8ft, hitting 8ft with a gentle cross-shore. But the quality is poor, with a slight chop.
Wednesday, September 16th is flat and onshore at 5ft. Thursday, September 17th is a messy 7ft. Friday, September 18th is around 7ft – the afternoon is clean with a 16-second period and 3711 energy. It’s “excellent for experienced surfers,” but not a standout.
The best of the bunch is Saturday, September 20th. The morning has a 15ft SW swell with an offshore wind from the ESE, clean and powerful. Too big for beginners, but for experts, that’s a proper session. The afternoon is 13ft, also clean.
The real gem is Wednesday, September 24th. The morning brings an 12ft WSW swell with a very long 17-second period, offshores from the ESE, and it’s called “exceptional.” The energy is 6613. That’s the one to aim for. The afternoon is 10ft with a light cross-off.
Friday, September 25th is the last good call, with an 8ft WSW swell and a 15-second period, light cross-off winds. It’s “excellent” for experienced surfers, not just experts.
The second week gets smaller but sloppier. Saturday, September 27th is only 7ft with cross-shore wind.
So, the standout is September 24th morning. That’s the best power and wind combo on offer for the whole stretch. It’s a bit of a wait, but keep it penciled in.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | WSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 13540 | 5730 | 10265 | 10400 | 9507 | 6947 | 5457 | 4530 | 3192 | 2554 | 2265 | 1559 | 721 | 494 | 668 | 1376 | 1893 | 2412 | 1475 | 3549 | 3241 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:01AM2.92m | 10:18PM3.02m | 10:39AM2.92m | 10:54PM2.95m | 11:15AM2.86m | 11:30PM2.82m | 11:51AM2.75m | 00:06AM2.65m | 12:29PM2.59m | 00:44AM2.45m | 1:09PM2.42m | 1:26AM2.26m | 1:57PM2.24m | 2:19AM2.08m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:10PM-0.01m | 4:33AM-0.04m | 4:49PM0.04m | 5:10AM0.03m | 5:27PM0.15m | 5:46AM0.16m | 6:05PM0.31m | 6:22AM0.33m | 6:44PM0.50m | 7:01AM0.53m | 7:27PM0.69m | 7:46AM0.71m | 8:19PM0.87m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |  | |  |  | |
 | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 16 | SW 16 | — | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 |
| kJ | — | 5730 | 10265 | — | 9507 | 6947 | 5457 | 4530 | 3192 | 2554 | 2265 | 1559 | 721 | 494 | 668 | 1376 | 1893 | 2412 | 1475 | 3549 | 3241 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | WSW 18 | WSW 18 | — | — | W 10 | WSW 17 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | 32 | 31 | — | — | 48 | 1206 | 80 | 52 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 9 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | 119 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 10 | — | SW 16 | — | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | E 3 | E 4 |
| kJ | 13540 | 2455 | — | 10400 | — | 5869 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 7 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 85 | 166 | 124 | 85 | 85 | 138 | 228 | 153 | 138 | 228 | 127 | 138 | 189 | 166 | 234 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 101 | 0 |
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