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Updating conditions · Source-reviewed profile

Piha

Auckland, New Zealand · Beach break

Local time — · Sunrise 06:06 · Sunset 20:09

Verified data gate

Reading the ocean.

SWELLRADAR is requesting a verified marine run for Piha.

Marine sourceChecking
Synthetic valuesBlocked
RefreshAutomatic
Source-reviewedPublished sources reviewed

Spot intelligence.

Piha is an exposed west-coast beach with different north and south sections. Bank position and powerful rips matter more than a bay-wide tide shortcut. Choose a section with local advice; an intermediate label does not mean benign conditions.

Profile source · Piha community · design overview
Profile sources & limits

Reviewed 18 Oct 2026 · not observation-validated

Published spot guides reviewed by SWELLRADAR, not validation against measured breaking waves. Direction axes and relative tide bands translate qualitative guidance into ranking inputs. The existing offshore-model height bands are retained, not inferred from reported wave-face heights. An offshore sample is not a takeoff or bathymetric survey. North Piha tide preferences are not transferred to the whole beach. No bay-wide preferred tide window is scored.

NS

Source-informed axes

Swell axis WSW · 248°

Offshore wind from E · Intermediate profile

Wave

Lefts and rights · shifting banks

Sand with rock boundaries

Swell window

SW–W

0.8–2.4 m offshore ranking band

Clean wind

E · light offshore

Applied to wind scoring

Tide window

Bank-specific · no tide bonus

No tide phase affects scoring

Field guide

Read the break.

Character

01

Piha is defined by lefts and rights · shifting banks over sand with rock boundaries. The shape can change with swell angle, period and the active section, so the live score should always be paired with a visual check from shore.

Best setup

02

SW–W swell, e · light offshore and bank-specific · no tide bonus form the profile baseline. SWELLRADAR retains 0.8–2.4 m as an offshore-model ranking band, not a measured local surf limit or a breaking-wave prediction.

Lineup read

03

Choose a peak that matches your experience and reassess it as tide and crowd change. Pay particular attention to strong rip currents, heavy shorebreak, rock margins. Local signs and advice always take priority.

Know before you paddle

Live conditions and local advice always override this profile.

Strong rip currentsHeavy shorebreakRock marginsRapidly changing banks
Optional community layerRecent surfer reportsVoluntary and potentially incomplete. Not used for the forecast or Surf Score.

The break

Beach break

Intermediate. Works best with SW–W swell.

Timing

E · light offshore

Bank-specific · no tide bonus. Re-check local observations and the lineup before you paddle out.

Data note

Model data unavailable

SWELLRADAR withholds numerical conditions, scores and surf windows until a quality-checked marine forecast is available.