Piha-The Bar Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.95° S 174.47° E

Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 26 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Piha-The Bar sea temperature is
13.7°C
0.4° 

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 26 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 8,740 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 13s 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 17s. 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 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 3PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Thu 27th Aug)6.5ft (2.0m) 13s
Best Surf 6AM (Mon 31st Aug)15ft (4.5m) 12s
Most Powerful 3PM (Mon 31st Aug)15ft (4.5m) 14s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s break this down over the next couple of weeks. There’s plenty of swell, but a lot of it’s going to be a fight with the wind or just too damn big. The best windows are looking like late Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon of the 27th, and then again on Saturday, the 29th. For the rest, it’s messy, blown out, or just plain heavy.

First up on Wednesday the 26th, forget it. You’ve got a chunky 8ft swell from the WSW with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 2689, but the cross-on wind is just chopping it up.

Thursday the 27th is where we’ve got some hope. The early morning is clean with a light offshore wind at 10 km/h from the NNW, but the swell is still a hefty 7ft from the WSW. The real magic happens Thursday afternoon. The wind drops to dead glass (0 km/h), and we’ve got a solid 7ft swell from the WSW at 13 seconds. The combined energy is still strong (1400), but with absolute glass, this will be excellent for experienced surfers. That’s your best call for the early part of this run.

Friday the 28th is a skip. The swell drops right off to 3ft, but the cross-on breeze kills any quality. Poor conditions.

Saturday the 29th is another highlight. The morning has a light cross-off breeze and a 4ft swell from the WSW, clean and workable. The afternoon gets even better with a 7ft swell from the WSW and a 12-second period, still with that clean cross-off wind. The combined energy is strong at 1401, and it’s expected to be very good for experienced surfers. This is the other standout.

Sunday the 30th goes downhill fast. The swell jumps to 10ft in the morning with a fresh cross-shore, then 12ft in the afternoon with a lumpy cross-onshore. Not good.

Monday the 31st is a big one, but it’s too big. We’re looking at 15ft of SW swell, with a period around 13-14 seconds, and the combined energy is massive (6764-8085). It’s explicitly stated to be too big for the break. This is for expert-only, at a minimum, and even then, the conditions are likely challenging.

From there, Tuesday, 1st September, through to the end of the forecast on the 10th, it’s a grim pattern of large, windy, messy surf. Tuesday the 1st has 13ft in the morning with a cross-onshore, then it drops a bit, but the wind stays poor. Wednesday and Thursday of that week are the same story: big swell (10ft to 13ft), but cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions.

We get another pulse around the 3rd and 4th of September, with swells of 12ft to 13ft and periods of 15-16 seconds, but the wind is either onshore or strong cross-onshore. The combined energy values in the later stages (over 9000 and even 12,000+) show how much power is in the water, but it’s all for nothing with the wind.

The final week, from the 6th to the 10th of September, looks the same. Huge swells, often over 13ft and up to 21ft on the 8th, with very high energy levels. The wind occasionally goes cross-shore, but the comment is that it’s either “too big for the break” or the conditions are poor. The period on the 6th of September is a very long 17 seconds for the WSW swell, so expect long, lully sets that will be heavy and walled up. This is serious, serious water.

For now, the absolute best of the bunch is the glassy Thursday afternoon, 27th August. The swell is a good size, the direction is right from the SW for Piha-The Bar, and with zero wind, it’ll be pure. The Saturday 29th afternoon is your other great call, with clean, workable surf.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 30mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Sat afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Sat afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds.

Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
4
3
0
1
0
3
4
1
1
0
0
!
!
0
0
6
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.3
WSW
14
2.1
WSW
13
2
WSW
13
1.9
WSW
12
1.1
SW
14
1
WSW
14
1.7
WNW
9
1
WSW
13
1.9
WSW
12
2.2
WSW
11
2.5
WSW
9
3
WSW
9
4
WSW
10
4.5
SW
13
4.5
SW
14
4.5
WSW
15
4
SW
15
3.5
SW
14
3
SW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2002
1497
1289
1052
469
419
465
351
1062
1155
1145
1308
3069
7243
8740
8262
6763
5452
4105
Wind (km/h)
15
WNW
10
NNW
5
W
10
NNE
20
NNE
15
NNE
15
N
10
ENE
5
WSW
25
SW
30
SW
35
WSW
35
WSW
35
SW
30
WSW
25
WSW
25
WSW
30
SW
25
WSW
Wind State
on
on
glassy
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
High Tide
8:58AM2.53m
9:17PM2.74m
9:34AM2.65m
9:51PM2.85m
10:08AM2.74m
10:24PM2.91m
10:43AM2.80m
10:58PM2.93m
11:18AM2.81m
11:33PM2.88m
11:56AM2.77m
00:11AM2.79m
Low Tide
2:52AM0.43m
3:03PM0.33m
3:28AM0.27m
3:38PM0.21m
4:03AM0.15m
4:14PM0.14m
4:37AM0.08m
4:49PM0.11m
5:12AM0.06m
5:27PM0.14m
5:50AM0.09m
6:07PM0.22m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
clear
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:50
6:48
6:48
6:46
6:45
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:57
5:58
5:58
5:59
6:00
6:00
 mm
2
12
16
1
1
Temp °C
14
16
15
13
16
17
14
14
14
13
14
14
14
13
13
13
14
13
13
Feels °C
12
15
15
10
12
14
11
13
15
6
8
8
8
6
6
7
9
8
8
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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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