
Surf Forecasts:
Piha-The Bar surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 11s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 11s period, WSW swell with 9,665 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s period. 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 6.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 20ft (6.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Piha-The Bar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Let's have a yarn about what's coming up at Piha-The-Bar.
The next week and a bit is a proper mixed bag, with some serious size on the way, but you'll need to pick your moments carefully. The water temp is sitting around 58°, which is pretty standard for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.
We kick off Monday the 14th with a solid 10ft SW groundswell, period a very solid 16 seconds, pumping in with a massive combined energy of 5089. It's a heap of water, and with a cross-shore SW wind around 9 mph, it'll be a bit lumpy. Monday afternoon cleans up a touch with a cross-offshore breeze, but it's still big and powerful for 10ft. This is advanced territory right from the start – stay out of the water if you're not confident.
Tuesday the 15th sees the swell ease to 8ft, still a long-period SW groundswell at 14 seconds. The morning has a cross-shore breeze, so expect some chop, but the afternoon cleans up nicely with a cross-offshore wind. The energy is still moderate at 2356. A good option for the experienced crew who want a slightly less intimidating wave.
Wednesday the 16th is a write-off. The swell drops, the wind goes cross-onshore, and it's choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out.
Thursday the 17th sees the swell bump back up to around 7ft to 7ft, but the wind is onshore from the north. It's going to be a choppy, bumpy mess. Another day to give a miss.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. Friday the 18th is a monster day, but not for paddling. The forecast is for a 20ft SW swell with a combined energy of 9093. The wind is a strong cross-offshore SW breeze at 28 mph. That's a big, powerful, dangerous slab. This is purely for the elite, and even then, conditions are critical. This setup looks far more suited to a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.
Saturday the 19th is still huge, around 13ft, but the wind turns messy and cross-shore, making it lumpy and difficult. Sunday the 20th is similar – 13ft to 15ft with strong, messy cross-shore winds. Not for the faint-hearted, and not clean.
Monday the 21st offers 13ft of SW swell with a moderate cross-shore breeze. Still massive, but a touch more organised than the weekend. The afternoon turns choppy again.
Then we get a bit of a change. Tuesday the 22nd sees the swell drop to 10ft, and the morning has a clean cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at 19 mph. This looks like the best window for a proper, clean, powerful session on the bigger swells, but it's still a big wave for advanced surfers only.
Wednesday the 23rd is another standout, but again for the experts. A 15ft to 16ft SW swell with a perfect offshore wind from the SE in the morning and a cross-offshore in the afternoon. The energy is intense – over 10,000 in the afternoon. It's a world-class big-wave day at this break, but if you're not on your game, stay on the beach.
The last few days settle down. Thursday the 24th to Sunday the 27th sees the swell drop back to 7ft to 10ft, but the winds are generally cross-shore or cross-onshore, so it's not going to be glassy or perfect. Monday the 28th and Tuesday the 29th offer a longer-period swell again (20 to 22 seconds), but with onshore or cross-shore winds, it'll be lumpy and a bit of a battle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Thu morning, strong winds from the SSW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 15 | WSW 13 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
5089 | 4299 | 3192 | 2356 | 2155 | 1470 | 867 | 572 | 803 | 1059 | 1939 | 2497 | 9093 | 6928 | 3931 | 7631 | 6040 | 6992 | 6937 | 7745 | 6943 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 11:15AM2.86m | 11:30PM2.82m | 11:51AM2.75m | 00:06AM2.65m | 12:29PM2.59m | 00:44AM2.45m | 1:09PM2.42m | 1:26AM2.26m | 1:57PM2.24m | 2:19AM2.08m | 2:59PM2.10m | 3:31AM1.96m | 4:22PM2.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:27PM0.15m | 5:46AM0.16m | 6:05PM0.31m | 6:22AM0.33m | 6:44PM0.50m | 7:01AM0.53m | 7:27PM0.69m | 7:46AM0.71m | 8:19PM0.87m | 8:42AM0.87m | 9:27PM0.99m | 9:55AM0.96m | 10:48PM1.01m | ||||||||
6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | |
— | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 15 | WSW 13 | — | — | WSW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
5089 | 4299 | 3192 | 2356 | 2155 | 1470 | 867 | 572 | 803 | 1059 | 1939 | 2497 | — | — | 1676 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 20 | SW 6 | WSW 18 | — | NW 7 | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 30 | 31 | — | 152 | 626 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 18 | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | — | 230 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | NW 4 | NW 7 | — | — | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | SW 14 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37 | 29 | 140 | — | — | 9093 | 6928 | 3931 | 7631 | 6040 | 6992 | 6937 | 7745 | 6943 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 153 | 138 | 0 | 101 | 231 | 231 | 243 | 337 | 8 | 325 | 11 | 73 | 124 | 159 | 195 | 309 | 337 | 337 | 362 | 262 | 233 |
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.










