Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 16s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 11s period, SSE swell with 6,267 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 10s 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 16s. 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 5.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 5s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sun 12th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 16ft (5.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here with the outlook for Blacks Reef.
We've got a bit of a rough start for the next few days, with a stormy pulse of swell on Thursday and Friday, the 9th and 10th of July, bringing solid 13ft to 12ft surf. But the wind is howling onshore at 22 mph, so it's a total mess. That's not for paddling, that's for watching or maybe kite surfing. That combined swell energy is pumping hard at over 4300, but the poor conditions ruin it.
We then see things settle down over the weekend. Saturday, the 11th, is still marginal with a choppy 8ft swell, but Sunday the 12th is where it starts to turn. The morning is the standout of the first week – glassy conditions with a light W wind at just 3 mph and a clean, long-period 3ft SSW groundswell running at 14 seconds. The water temp is 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. That'll be a clean, easy session for beginners.
The real highlight though, is Wednesday the 15th of July. The afternoon session is firing with a very clean 4ft ESE swell, but the period is a massive 16 seconds. That's a very long-period groundswell, and while it'll have loads of energy (combined energy of 927), that long period can make beach breaks straighten out. Being a reef break, Blacks Reef will handle it beautifully. Light offshore winds from the ENE will keep it glassy.
Looking into the second week, we get some more solid pulses. From Thursday the 16th, the swell sticks around the 7ft mark, but it gets onshore again. Then, Friday the 17th morning looks excellent for experienced surfers: a clean 6ft SE swell with a nice 12-second period and a light offshore N wind. That’s the pick of the second week.
The period from the 18th through the 22nd gets bumpy again with strong onshore winds, but a lot of swell on offer. By the 22nd and 23rd of July, the swell jumps to a powerful 12ft, but it's simply too big and blown out for this break.
So, to sum it up: the best waves on offer are the glassy morning on Sunday the 12th for the beginners, and for the more experienced, the clean Friday morning on the 17th. Keep an eye on that Wednesday afternoon the 15th for a special, very long-period glassy session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 48mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed night, min 9°C on Fri afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Thu night, light winds from the SSW by Sat morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 14 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | S 12 | SE 9 | S 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 692 | 509 | 3245 | 3941 | 6267 | 3333 | 2625 | 1676 | 1169 | 880 | 673 | 350 | 260 | 207 | 132 | 110 | 58 | 61 | 41 | 51 | 129 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 00:04AM1.63m | 12:26PM1.63m | 00:54AM1.67m | 1:22PM1.70m | 1:49AM1.70m | 2:19PM1.77m | 2:46AM1.73m | 3:16PM1.84m | 3:46AM1.75m | 4:14PM1.90m | 4:46AM1.78m | 5:14PM1.94m | 5:45AM1.79m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:49PM0.35m | 6:18AM0.31m | 6:42PM0.36m | 7:07AM0.30m | 7:39PM0.34m | 8:00AM0.29m | 8:39PM0.30m | 8:58AM0.26m | 9:39PM0.25m | 10:00AM0.22m | 10:38PM0.19m | 11:01AM0.15m | 11:37PM0.13m | 11:59AM0.08m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 |
 | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — | 5:04 |
mm | 1 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 15 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | SSW 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SE 10 | S 16 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 692 | 509 | 433 | 411 | 122 | 107 | 1792 | 79 | 1169 | 880 | 673 | 335 | 260 | 207 | 110 | 110 | 58 | 61 | 41 | 39 | 97 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | ESE 10 | E 10 | SSW 17 | NE 9 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | S 12 | SSW 10 | S 19 | S 16 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | NE 7 | ESE 11 | ESE 14 |
| kJ | 33 | 500 | 575 | 116 | 12 | 182 | 252 | 101 | 36 | 173 | 334 | 350 | 225 | 174 | 132 | 80 | 50 | 15 | 15 | 51 | 129 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 19 | SSW 16 | — | — | — | — | S 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | — | — | — | SW 15 | ESE 11 | S 13 | S 12 | S 9 | NE 5 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 92 | 27 | 107 | — | — | — | — | 121 | 47 | 34 | 32 | — | — | — | 54 | 39 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 4 | — | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 7 | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 6 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 8 | — | 3245 | 3941 | 6267 | 3333 | 2625 | 1676 | 93 | 117 | 57 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 27 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 14 | 89 | 139 | 168 | 162 | 91 | 79 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 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.
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