Piha Surf Forecast

Tide

⏱️Periods.

⚡️EnergykJ

Timezone:

Pacific/Auckland

Forecast updated:

14/06, 12:00

Wind: SN UNITY Atmos

(20260613 12z)

Waves: SN UNITY WAVE

(20260613 12z)

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Today Sun 14/06

07:03 - 17:40

Best

Solid with calm cross-onshore.

Tomorrow Mon 15/06

07:04 - 14:00

Best

Solid with light cross-onshore.

14:00 - 17:40

Solid with moderate cross-onshore.

Unlock 3 more days in the timeline

More surf windows and day entries continue below

Wave breakdown

Swell 1Swell 2Swell 3Wind waves

Overview

Piha is New Zealand’s most famous surf beach, a black iron-sand stretch about 40 km (25 mi) from Auckland. The setting is dramatic, with rugged cliffs, Lion Rock, and the Waitakere Ranges behind the beach.

It’s a good, consistent beachbreak over sand, with both lefts and rights. South Piha has quality low-tide lefts off the corner sandbar, while North Piha can have good peaks when the swell is small.

When It Works

Piha works on swell from south through west-southwest to northwest, with southwest the optimal swell direction. It is usable from 0.3 m / 1 ft to 3 m / 10 ft.

The beach can handle size better than many beaches, but the paddle out gets punishing when it’s bigger.

Wind and Tide

The offshore wind is east.

Low, mid, and high tide can all be surfed, with a rising tide better. South Piha has its low-tide corner sandbar lefts, and those waves can reform in the shorebreak at high tide.

Local Tips

Piha is busy and well known, with a surf school on the beach. It can suit beginners in suitable conditions, but when it’s big it is for experts only.

Currents are a major part of the beach. South Piha has a fast rip and a keyhole around the rocks, while more currents flank Lion Rock and North Piha can also have dangerous currents. The black iron sand can get very hot in the sun.

Access

From Auckland, head west through Glen Eden on West Coast Road. At Waitatarua, turn left onto Piha Road and follow signs for the West Coast beaches. Coming into Piha, turn onto Seaview Road and continue down to the beach, then choose South Piha or North Piha.

There are lifesaving clubs at both South Piha and North Piha, plus restrooms, lifeguards, a surf school, and a car park with free parking.

Confidence

Confidence tells you how much the weather models agree on the forecast.

High confidence: Models agree closely; forecast is reliable.
Medium confidence: Some disagreement; conditions may shift slightly.

Low confidence

We calculate the wind confidence by comparing wind speed, gust and direction from multiple models (like GFS, ECMWF, Arome, and Harmonie) and seeing how closely they match. For wave certainty we compare height, period and direction, also on multiple models. They are weighted, meaning that some models count more than others, depending on how good they are for a certain spot.

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Readme

Welcome! If you’re new to surf forecasting, check out this quick guide.

Forecast Table

The forecast table (the section on the page with all the numbers) is designed to pack as much information in the screen as possible. Although intimidating at first, it will help you make informed decisions about the waves faster, trust me :D. The table consists of roughly four sections, time and predictions, wind, waves, and tides:

🔮 Time and predictions section

Here we show the forecast thour and the overall surf quality prediction. This is determined based on the wave, wind and tide quality prediction. These individual predictions can be found on the forecast map.

💨 Wind section

The first row on the table (with the 💨 icon) shows wind speed, direction and gust. The more the wind speed the more aggressive the color (from blue, green, orange to red).

🌊 Wave section

The waves section consists of three rows, one for wave height and direction, one for period and one for wave energy. Our algorithm chooses the "dominant wave" using spot-adjusted surf energy (depth + directional fit). This is usually the first swell partition, but during local storms it can switch to wind waves. If that happens, values are shown in gray and italic.

🌒 Tide section

The tide section consists of a row with the actual heights per hour (measured at the half hour) and a table that displays the flow of the tide and the extremes (lows and highs).

Forecast map

The forecast map consists of arrows. These arrows represent all wave partitions (swell partitions and wind wave partition) and the wind. This allows you to see things like: a secondary swell or wind waves messes up the surf, or the wind is just a tick offshore so very surfable. Click a metric label in the bottom left to bring that arrow to the front — handy when arrows overlap.

Forecast Cheat Sheet

Short on time? Focus on wave energy. It’s the best single metric to gauge how big and powerful the waves will be.

Click any table cell to jump to that forecast hour. The map will update with forecast arrows, so you can see if wind and swell direction are lining up.

Use the table sidebar to switch units for height and speed.

Log your surf sessions to compare forecasts with real sessions and sharpen future predictions.

Models and Updates

Surfnerd blends multiple global and local wind and swell models using advanced interpolation and spatial techniques to create an "ensemble" forecast. Forecasts are refreshed hourly.

Surf Predictions

Our AI-driven algorithm scores surf quality, shown by green, orange, and gray dots. Each forecast hour is rated for wind, swell, and tide quality, then combined into an overall score. Here’s the scale:

Perfect

Good

Average

Bad or No Data

Session logs also feed the algorithm — the more you log, the smarter your forecasts get.

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Piha Surf Forecast

Wave breakdown