Blacks Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, checking in on the local lineup for the next couple of weeks. Let's get straight into it.

We’re looking at a pretty drawn-out stretch of small, generally poor conditions at Blacks Beach for the first week or so, but there's a glimmer of hope towards the end. The water is sitting at a very unusual 73°F right now, that's 6°F warmer than average for this time of year – feels more like a late summer bath than a July swim.

For the rest of this week and into next, it's a grind. Thursday the 16th through to most of next week shows tiny swell, mostly 2ft to 4ft from the SW, but the wind is all wrong. It's cross or cross-onshore, creating a messy surface. The first real chance of anything decent comes on Monday the 20th afternoon, when a 4ft SW groundswell with a good 16-second period lines up with some light offshore WNW wind. The combined energy hits 606 (moderate), and it looks like the only window with offshore breeze in days. It’s still a marginal call, but that’s the pick of a very thin bunch early on.

Tuesday the 21st morning has a similar setup – light offshore wind and a 3ft SSW swell at 16 seconds – but the energy is only rated as marginal. The winds look cleaner those two mornings, so if you're desperate for a slide, that's your only real play.

The biggest swell we see shows up on Saturday the 25th. Swell jumps up to 6ft from the SSW, combined energy is a hefty 1781 (strong), and it's clean with light WSW offshore wind. But be warned – at 6ft, this is getting into expert territory at Blacks, especially with that 13-second period. The surf quality is still noted as marginal, but with that much energy and clean wind, it's the standout of the whole outlook. The size and power will be real, and Blacks on a SSW is a serious wave. Expect a crowd.

Sunday the 26th through to Wednesday the 30th hangs in there with solid 3ft to 5ft SSW groundswell and mostly light offshore morning winds. The combined swell energy stays in the strong range (over 1000), but the forecast quality remains marginal. Still, if you can pick your morning window, there will be waves with shape. After that, Thursday the 30th afternoon and Friday the 31st drop right off into flatness.

Truth is, for this stretch, the standout session is the morning and afternoon of Saturday the 25th – that's the one to circle on the calendar if you've got the experience and the fortitude for a crowd at Blacks.

- Rusty

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