Piha-The Bar Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.95° S 174.47° E

Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 17 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Piha-The Bar sea temperature is
14.1° C
0.2° 

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 17 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with 7,221 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. 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 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6PM (Wed 19th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 16s
Best Surf 6PM (Wed 19th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 16s
Most Powerful12PM (Mon 24th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 15s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got your 16-day outlook for Piha.

Alright, look, the first week is a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s a real standout session that’s got my heart racing. The overall pattern is a long, powerful SW groundswell that hangs around for days, but the wind is the tricky part. Most of the time, that solid swell is getting chopped up by cross-offshore or onshore breezes, keeping things from being truly epic. But there’s one golden window.

The action kicks off on Monday the 17th with a big 12 ft SW swell rolling in, but it’s a cross-off 12 mph wind. The energy is massive (5023), but it’s a bit raw and the forecast calls it marginal. Not the best start. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th keep the swell in the 7 ft to 7 ft range, still with that persistent cross-off wind, and the energy remains strong. It’s surfable, but it’s not clean.

Then we hit the true standout. Thursday morning, the 20th of August. The swell drops a touch to 7 ft from the SW, but the wind goes glassy – a 3 mph SSE breeze. That’s clean, lined-up waves with a solid 14-second period. The energy is still strong (2004), and for an experienced surfer, this is as good as it gets. This is the one to circle. The water temp is 57°, which is about average for this time of year.

Friday the 21st through Sunday the 23rd is a write-off. The wind turns onshore and the quality dives. By Saturday the 23rd, an 8 ft, short-period (8 sec) NW windswell shows up with 19 mph winds. That’s a messy, blown-out scene. We get a gap of poor conditions until the 24th.

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th see a monster 10 ft to 12 ft SW groundswell, but it’s hammered by cross-onshore winds. The energy is huge (over 5000), but it’s a lumpy, choppy mess. Beach breaks would be better for kite surfing than a paddle. The 26th is no better with onshore winds.

But don’t write this window off. Thursday the 27th brings a welcome change. The swell drops to a clean 7 ft from the WSW, and the wind swings to a light 6 mph cross-off from the east. The energy is solid (1269), and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. It’s a late-week gem.

Friday the 28th afternoon is another one to note – 4 ft SW swell, light 6 mph cross-off wind, and excellent conditions. It’s smaller, but clean. Saturday the 29th afternoon looks promising too: 8 ft from the west, glassy winds, and excellent conditions (1906 energy). That’s a solid session.

The final days of the outlook into the 30th and 31st are a mix of cross-shore winds and smaller swells, nothing to get too excited about. The first of September brings a 7 ft SW groundswell, but the onshore breeze chops it up.

So, the two true standouts: Thursday morning, the 20th of August, and Thursday morning, the 27th of August. The first is the best of the bunch – big, clean, and powerful. The second is a slightly smaller but still excellent clean option.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Tue night, light winds from the SSE by Thu morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri night, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu night, fresh winds from the WNW by Sun morning).

Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
2
2
2
3
4
4
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
SW
14
2.3
SW
14
2.2
SW
14
2.5
SW
13
2.2
SW
12
2.1
SW
13
2.5
SW
15
2.2
SW
14
2
WSW
14
1.7
WSW
13
1.7
WSW
13
1.4
SW
14
1.3
WSW
14
1.1
SW
14
0.9
WSW
14
1.2
WSW
11
3
W
8
3
WSW
9
3
WSW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
3137
2095
1672
2140
1486
1348
2933
2004
1621
1077
961
743
682
456
323
317
1193
1215
3601
Wind (km/h)
25
SSW
20
S
25
S
25
S
30
SSE
20
S
10
S
5
SSE
10
SSW
5
W
15
WNW
20
WNW
20
W
20
W
20
WNW
30
WNW
35
WNW
30
WNW
20
WNW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
00:43AM2.71m
1:07PM2.56m
1:24AM2.50m
1:51PM2.40m
2:08AM2.30m
2:41PM2.23m
3:02AM2.12m
3:45PM2.11m
4:12AM2.00m
5:03PM2.07m
5:34AM1.99m
6:19PM2.13m
Low Tide
7:03AM0.30m
7:22PM0.47m
7:45AM0.49m
8:08PM0.67m
8:31AM0.67m
9:01PM0.85m
9:28AM0.83m
10:08PM0.97m
10:37AM0.91m
11:24PM0.99m
11:51AM0.89m
00:34AM0.91m
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
mod rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:01
7:01
7:00
6:58
6:56
6:56
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:50
5:50
5:51
5:52
5:52
5:53
 mm
1
8
3
Temp °C
11
11
12
12
9
11
12
11
12
13
13
13
14
14
14
14
14
13
14
Feels °C
4
6
6
7
1
7
9
8
9
10
9
9
10
10
10
10
8
7
11
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  • 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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