
Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, W swell with 3,762 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s 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 Friday (Aug 07) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 20s. 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 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 8s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, checking the surf outlook for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a solid run of waves coming through, with a standout period that’s got me stoked. The water is sitting at 57°F at the start, which is about 1°F cooler than average for this time of year – nothing drastic, just a bit of a chill.
The first few days, starting Thursday 6 August, kick off with a clean 4ft SW swell at Piha-The-Bar, with a 12-second period and a moderate combined energy of (494). The wind is a cross-off from the south at 9 mph, and it’s feeling good. Then Friday morning 7 August turns it up a notch: glassy conditions, no wind, and a cleaner 3ft SW groundswell (12 seconds, 203 energy). That’s your first real standout – a proper glassy morning, small but perfect shapes. The afternoon gets a bit messy with a light cross-on, so hit it early.
By Saturday 8 August and Sunday 9 August, the quality drops. Saturday is cross-on with small, weak swell (2ft to 1ft), and Sunday brings a lumpy 8ft NW swell with a short 10-second period and strong energy (3106), but it’s choppy with a moderate cross-on breeze. Not worth paddling out for.
Now, here’s the real highlight. Monday 10 August delivers an absolute gem. The morning is glassy, with a 5ft WSW groundswell at 13 seconds and a solid energy (1385). The wind is a light SE offshore – glassy clean. The afternoon sees a 5ft WSW swell, 16-second period, and a cross-off wind from the south at 6 mph. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers. This is your best session of the run.
Tuesday 11 August and Wednesday 12 August are okay but nothing special – clean but marginal, with smaller swells around 3ft to 4ft, and onshore winds creeping in. Wednesday afternoon gets a bit bigger, 7ft W swell at 15 seconds (2266 energy), but the wind is onshore, so it’s lumpy.
Thursday 13 August and Friday 14 August see size pick up, but wind and rain mess with it. Thursday morning has a 10ft W swell at 13 seconds (2731 energy) with a light cross-shore, but it’s not clean. Friday gets blown out with 16–19 mph cross-shore winds and rain. Skip it.
The weekend of 15–16 August is a write-off for paddle surfing. Saturday sees 16ft to 15ft W swell with fresh onshore winds (22 mph) and heavy rain – that’s kite-surfing territory, not for a standard board. Sunday 16 August has a massive 25ft WSW swell at 14 seconds (36174 energy) with light offshore wind, but it’s far too big for this break. Only for the absolute experts with a death wish.
The run from Monday 17 August to Thursday 20 August looks promising again. Monday morning has a 13ft WSW swell (14 seconds, 5964 energy) with a cross-off breeze from the ENE – clean but huge, only for experienced surfers. Tuesday 18 August is a standout: a 8ft WSW swell at 14 seconds (2064 energy) with a light offshore from the SE. That’s excellent, clean, and powerful. Thursday 20 August morning is another glassy gem: 6ft WSW swell, 15-second period (1506 energy), with a light ESE glass-off. Beautiful.
The final days, Friday 21 August morning, are still good: glassy, 5ft WSW swell at 13 seconds (939 energy), with a light offshore. A solid way to end the outlook.
Overall, the best on offer: Monday 10 August morning for glassy, clean 5ft SW groundswell, and Tuesday 18 August morning for a clean 8ft WSW swell. Get out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Thu afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | NW 10 | WSW 15 | NW 9 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | W 15 | W 14 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
450 | 319 | 167 | 75 | 89 | 116 | 139 | 390 | 1210 | 773 | 562 | 669 | 1184 | 1010 | 672 | 427 | 578 | 637 | 2146 | 3329 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:08AM2.39m | 3:52PM2.34m | 4:21AM2.30m | 5:11PM2.36m | 5:43AM2.31m | 6:28PM2.47m | 6:58AM2.42m | 7:34PM2.65m | 8:00AM2.58m | 8:30PM2.84m | 8:53AM2.73m | 9:19PM3.00m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:03PM0.62m | 9:37AM0.55m | 10:14PM0.69m | 10:49AM0.58m | 11:31PM0.66m | 12:03PM0.53m | 00:45AM0.54m | 1:11PM0.40m | 1:50AM0.37m | 2:10PM0.23m | 2:45AM0.18m | 3:02PM0.08m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | |
5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WSW 18 | NW 10 | WSW 15 | NW 9 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | W 15 | W 14 |
450 | 319 | 167 | 75 | 89 | 54 | 95 | 390 | 863 | 773 | 562 | 669 | 1184 | 1010 | 672 | 427 | 578 | 637 | 2146 | 3329 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 21 | SW 21 | WSW 19 | WSW 14 | SW 10 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 19 | — | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 8 | SSW 6 | SW 22 | WSW 21 | SW 13 | W 13 | — | — |
44 | 108 | 35 | 74 | 15 | 116 | 79 | 56 | 1033 | — | 467 | 643 | 44 | 15 | 127 | 297 | 170 | 311 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 7 | W 7 | WSW 18 | W 10 | WSW 19 | WSW 19 | SW 12 | — | — | WSW 18 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | WSW 18 | SW 7 | NW 6 | S 6 | — | — |
— | 1 | 1 | 34 | 17 | 35 | 139 | 72 | — | — | 486 | 73 | 20 | 9 | 31 | 8 | 35 | 1 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 3 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | NW 10 | NW 9 | SW 9 | — | — | — | NE 3 | NNW 3 | NW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | — |
— | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 275 | 1210 | 747 | 176 | — | — | — | 4 | 7 | 62 | 62 | 120 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 231 | 40 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 325 | 256 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 44 | 44 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











