Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a solid run of swell for Piha-The-Bar, starting Friday, July 10th. The water is sitting at 59°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first call is Friday morning, and it’s a beast. We’re looking at a strong 12ft SW groundswell with a very long 18-second period, and the combined energy is massive (12,981). That’s a lot of power. The wind is a cross-off at 12 mph, keeping things clean. This is serious, big-wave territory – over 8ft, so it’s strictly for the experts. The bar at Piha can handle that long-period groundswell, but it’s going to be a heavy, focused paddle out. There will be long gaps between sets, but when they come, they’ll be thick. Crowds are possible, but with this size, it’ll thin out the pack.

The standout here is Sunday, July 12th afternoon. The swell drops to a still-meaty 7ft from the WSW, coming in at 15 seconds, with the combined energy at a solid 1,907. The wind goes glassy – a flat ENE at 3 mph. That’s about as clean as it gets. This is the sweet spot: big enough for a proper rush, but not so big that only the elite are out. It’s excellent surf for experienced surfers.

Saturday, July 11th is also very good, with 6ft to 6ft SW groundswell and light cross-off breezes, keeping things clean. The energy is still strong (2,265 and 2,144). The mornings are the pick.

We get a bit of a lull Monday, July 13th and Tuesday, July 14th as the swell drops and the wind turns more onshore or cross-onshore, creating chop. The period drops to 8 seconds on Tuesday, which is poor quality. Not worth the paddle.

Then Wednesday, July 15th onwards, the swell rebuilds. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, July 16th see a 10ft WSW groundswell return, but the wind is onshore or cross-off with rain. That’s a lot of raw power (5,146 and 4,268) but the conditions will be messy. It’s one for the true chargers who don’t mind a bit of wind.

The real second standout pops up on Sunday, July 19th. The morning is glassy again with a 8ft SW groundswell at 16 seconds, and the afternoon is clean with an 8ft SW groundswell at 15 seconds. The energy is high (2,844 and 3,051). This is another window of clean, powerful surf for experienced surfers.

Monday, July 20th and Tuesday, July 21st hold onto the swell, with the 20th offering glassy conditions in the afternoon and clean waves in the morning. The swell stays around 7ft to 10ft.

We fade out through the week of the 22nd, with the swell dropping and winds turning more onshore, leading to poor conditions by the 24th and 25th. The last few days are only small, knee-high waves with very weak energy (166 and 168). Not worth a session.

Overall, the best on offer is Sunday, July 12th afternoon for that glassy, clean 7ft groundswell, and Sunday, July 19th for another shot at clean, solid waves. Friday, July 10th morning is for the big-wave crew only.

Rusty.

Read more