Piha-The Bar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in from the West Coast. Looks like the next couple of weeks have a bit of a slow start, but there's a solid window of proper surf on the horizon.

We're kicking off with a bit of a wait. The first day really isn't worth paddling out for, with rain showers and a choppy, cross-on wind. But hang tight, because the real story starts on Saturday, August 1st.

Piha-The-Bar is where it's at. This spot is an advanced wave, fairly consistent but exposed, taking the full force of the SW swell. The standout is Saturday morning, August 1st. We're looking at a proper 11.5 ft swell from the WSW, with a 13-second period, and the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze. The water is sitting at 57.2°, which is about 0.9° below the average for the time of year, so it's not unusual. The combined energy is pumping at 4595, which is strong. That's big, powerful groundswell that you'd normally want to take to a point or reef, but the conditions are clean as a whistle. The afternoon holds offshore wind from the SE, so the lineup should stay clean all day. This is for the experienced crew only; this size is not for the faint of heart.

Sunday the 2nd is still very good. The swell drops to 6.9 ft from the SW on Sunday morning, but the wind is a light SSE cross-off, keeping it clean. The combined energy is still a solid 1307. It's a bit more manageable, but still a proper wave.

Into Monday the 3rd, the quality drops off. The swell is still there, but the period jumps to a very long 19 seconds and the wind goes cross-shore, making it a bit of a mess. The long period will make it a bit walled-up and tricky at the beach break, so it's a marginal call.

Tuesday the 4th has another big pulse of 9.8 ft from the SW. The wind is a clean cross-offshore breeze, but the forecast notes it's marginal for tide and conditions. The combined energy is huge at 5467, which is very strong wave energy. Again, this is for experts only.

The 5th of August sees a drop back to 7.2 ft from the SW with light winds, keeping it clean and fun. By the 6th, the swell is fading, and the period drops to a short 8 seconds, which is just a weak, junky wave.

The second week looks more inconsistent and a bit of a mixed bag. There are some pulses, but the wind is often a bit messy. Around the 7th and 8th of August, we get some 7.5 ft to 8.2 ft swell from the W, but the wind is cross-shore or light, keeping it from being a standout. The 9th of August has a very long period 18-second swell from the WSW, but it's only 3.0 ft, so not much power. The 12th of August has a 6.9 ft WNW swell with a short 8-second period and a light onshore wind, which is nothing special. After that, from the 13th of August onwards, the wind picks up from the west and northwest, chopping everything up. It's a poor run to finish the forecast.

So, if you're looking to get a wave, the first weekend of August is your best bet. Saturday the 1st is the absolute standout: big, clean, and powerful. Just be ready for a serious session.

Read more