
Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 4 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, S swell with 8,096 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 13s period with SE 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. 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 4.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright crew, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got a slow start with no real surf to recommend, then a solid window of clean, manageable waves mid-week, before a massive pulse of energy hits that’s going to be way too big and messy. The standout is definitely Wednesday morning, July 29th, when conditions line up beautifully.
The first surf worth paddling out for is on Wednesday, July 29th. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. Blacks Reef will see a 6ft swell from the SE with a solid 13-second period – that’s real groundswell, meaning it’ll have some punch and shape. The wind is light from the NNW, blowing cross-offshore, which is going to keep the surface clean and lined up. The water is sitting at 54°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit. The combined swell energy is moderate at 1043. This is ideal for experienced surfers – not too big, not too small, and the reef setup will handle that long period nicely. Wednesday afternoon holds up too, with 6ft from the SE and a 12-second period, but the wind picks up a little from the NE, still cross-offshore. Still a very good session.
Thursday, July 30th drops off a touch. Morning has 5ft from the ESE at 12 seconds, with a clean cross-offshore NW breeze. It’s a smaller day, but still rideable. The combined energy is 701. Afternoon is similar, 4ft, clean, but nothing to get too excited about.
Friday, July 31st sees the swell drop further, down to 3ft from the ESE. The wind is up a bit from the NW, still cross-offshore, but the energy is waning (277). It’s marginal.
Then the weekend turns ugly. Saturday, August 1st brings a strong SW wind and a jump in swell to 12ft, but it’s messy onshore junk. That’s a no-go. Sunday, August 2nd is even worse – 12ft from the S with strong onshore winds. The combined energy is 2671, but it’s blown out.
Monday, August 3rd is a mixed bag. The morning is still a bit lumpy with 8ft from the S. But the afternoon is a gem: 7ft from the S, 10-second period, and the wind goes completely glassy. That’s a rare treat – clean, smooth, and the reef will handle it. The combined energy is 970. This is your second-best window.
From Tuesday, August 4th onward, things get heavy and tricky. The swell spikes but the wind is all over the shop. Tuesday afternoon sees 8ft from the S with a very long 17-second period – that’s a lot of energy (3649) – but the cross-onshore wind makes it messy. Wednesday through Friday, August 5th to 7th, the swell jumps to 21ft from the SSW with periods around 14 seconds. That’s massive energy (26003) – but it’s way too big for Blacks Reef, and the wind is howling onshore. This is only for the absolute big-wave experts, and even then, the wind is ruining it. It looks more like a kite-surfing scene than a paddle surf.
The following week, from August 8th onwards, is a write-off. Strong onshore winds, big swell, poor conditions. The combined energy stays high, but the quality is zero. Honestly, there’s a gap of several days with no real surf to recommend.
So, to wrap it up: your best bet is Wednesday morning, July 29th at Blacks Reef – clean, 6ft SE groundswell, cross-offshore wind, moderate energy. The Monday afternoon glass-off on August 3rd is a close second. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big to handle.
Catch you in the water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 6°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Sun afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Mon morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
1730 | 1326 | 1003 | 933 | 802 | 518 | 408 | 302 | 190 | 151 | 91 | 1351 | 2700 | 3871 | 2331 | 1897 | 1333 | 799 | 622 | 771 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross |
High Tide | 4:53PM1.55m | 5:09AM1.43m | 5:37PM1.55m | 5:56AM1.42m | 6:22PM1.55m | 6:43AM1.44m | 7:06PM1.57m | 7:30AM1.47m | 7:50PM1.58m | 8:14AM1.51m | 8:34PM1.61m | 8:57AM1.55m | 9:19PM1.63m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:08PM0.46m | 11:24AM0.41m | 11:53PM0.41m | 12:05PM0.37m | 00:38AM0.36m | 12:47PM0.33m | 1:23AM0.32m | 1:30PM0.31m | 2:07AM0.29m | 2:15PM0.29m | 2:50AM0.27m | 3:02PM0.29m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | |
5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | -2 | -3 | -3 | -2 | -1 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 16 | SE 16 | E 16 | E 16 | E 15 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | E 13 |
1730 | 1326 | 1003 | 933 | 802 | 518 | 408 | 302 | 190 | 151 | 91 | 119 | 121 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1333 | 799 | 622 | 3 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 14 | NE 5 | NE 5 | SE 16 | ESE 10 | E 17 | ENE 16 | ENE 16 | ENE 15 | E 14 | S 23 | S 20 | — |
37 | 36 | 34 | 20 | 162 | 183 | 109 | 36 | 28 | 4 | 61 | 35 | 6 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 4 | 40 | 68 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 18 | S 16 | SSW 18 | NE 4 | NE 12 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SE 15 | SSW 12 | E 17 | ENE 17 | NE 16 | — | S 19 | S 19 | E 13 | E 13 | E 18 |
— | — | 6 | 5 | 106 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 38 | 37 | 26 | 6 | 29 | 10 | — | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | — | — | — | N 4 | NNW 3 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | WNW 3 | WNW 4 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | — | — | — | S 10 |
227 | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 66 | 3 | 13 | 1351 | 2700 | 3871 | 2331 | 1897 | — | — | — | 771 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 33 | 9 | 89 | 91 | 62 | 3 | 168 | 244 | 3 | 0 |
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.










