Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 16s period, S swell with 3,043 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 15s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Blacks Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Blacks Reef in the next 16 days are 2.4m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Tue 28th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s shaping up for Blacks Reef over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a solid pulse of long-period, S groundswell rolling in. The combined energy is strong (2706) on Tuesday morning, the 21st of July, with 8ft S swell and a 16-second period. That’s proper groundswell, and it’ll be reeling down the reef. The morning has a light cross-onshore breeze, but the real standout is Tuesday afternoon. The wind goes glassy, SE at just 3 mph, and the swell drops a touch to 7ft. That’s about as clean as it gets for a reef break. This is the best on offer – a true window of perfection for experienced surfers. The water temp is about average for this time of year.
Wednesday morning, the 22nd, is still clean with glassy conditions, but the swell has dropped to 4ft. It’s still good, but the energy is backing off (529). By Thursday, we’re into clean, offshore winds from the NNE, but the swell is fading fast (3ft). The energy is weak (221). Friday is tiny, and then Saturday the 25th gets blown out with strong W winds and a messy, short-period WNW windswell. Not worth a paddle.
Then there’s a bit of a gap with no real standouts, but Sunday morning the 26th brings a return of clean, offshore NNE wind and a 3ft ESE swell with a 14-second period. The energy is moderate (644). It’s surfable, but nothing special.
The next real highlight comes on Tuesday morning the 28th of July for experts only. The swell pushes 10ft from the S, with strong energy (3522), but the wind is a messy cross-onshore. It’s big, but it’s not clean. Look further ahead to Wednesday morning the 29th – 7ft ESE swell with a 12-second period, and a clean cross-offshore wind from the NW. The energy is solid (1266). That’s a good session for experienced surfers, just a bit of a risk on the long-range.
The end of the window is a bit of a story. Sunday morning the 2nd of August is glassy with 5ft S swell and moderate energy (898). That’s a decent morning for the intermediates. But then the big news: Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th of August see a massive swell event. We’re talking 18ft S swell on Monday, with energy readings over 13,000. The wind is cross-shore, but the swell is way too big for Blacks Reef – it’s going to be a washing machine. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s more of a spectacle than a surfable session. The setup is so big and messy it might be more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfing.
The forecast for the first week is solid. Look to Tuesday afternoon the 21st for the standout. The second week is more promising for the big wave crew, but with the wave heights over 13ft and cross-shore winds, it’s a dodgy call. Don’t sleep on Wednesday morning the 29th.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 7°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Sat afternoon, light winds from the E by Sun morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 10 | S 10 | SE 11 | E 19 | WNW 4 | SE 17 | SSW 8 | ESE 14 | SE 14 | S 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 4586 | 2609 | 1699 | 905 | 501 | 342 | 326 | 187 | 75 | 34 | 30 | 20 | 7 | 41 | 104 | 674 | 431 | 418 | 731 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 10:42PM1.74m | 11:07AM1.68m | 11:33PM1.68m | 11:59AM1.65m | 00:24AM1.62m | 12:54PM1.62m | 1:14AM1.58m | 1:46PM1.61m | 2:03AM1.55m | 2:36PM1.59m | 2:51AM1.51m | 3:22PM1.58m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:02AM0.20m | 5:23PM0.29m | 5:51AM0.28m | 6:15PM0.36m | 6:39AM0.36m | 7:08PM0.42m | 7:27AM0.42m | 8:00PM0.47m | 8:15AM0.47m | 8:50PM0.50m | 9:04AM0.48m | 9:37PM0.50m | |||||||
 |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |
 | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 10 | 20 |
Temp °C | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Feels °C | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | ENE 5 | S 10 | NE 6 | S 9 | ENE 8 | SE 17 | SE 16 | S 8 | SE 14 | ESE 14 |
| kJ | 4586 | 2609 | 1699 | 905 | 501 | 342 | 326 | 187 | 75 | 9 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 104 | 242 | 193 | 418 | 595 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SSW 10 | NE 5 | S 9 | SE 11 | NE 5 | E 12 | E 11 | ESE 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 103 | 97 | 97 | 57 | 28 | 29 | 35 | 31 | 37 | 34 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 58 | 431 | 44 | 90 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 12 | S 12 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | ESE 10 | SE 11 | E 19 | SE 13 | ENE 7 | S 16 | S 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 10 | 20 | 7 | 27 | 5 | 21 | 20 | 44 | 85 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | ENE 4 | NNW 2 | N 3 | NNW 3 | NE 6 | WNW 4 | WSW 5 | SSW 8 | — | S 8 | S 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 58 | 41 | 65 | 674 | — | 249 | 731 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 45 | 62 | 89 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 91 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Blacks Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Blacks Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Blacks Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Blacks Reef 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 (Blacks Reef) 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 Blacks Reef 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.
Blacks Reef is 50 km (31 miles) from the city of Gisborne. If you plan a holiday in Gisborne and Mahia, look for hotels and other accommodation in Gisborne. Gisborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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