Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’re looking at Blacks Reef as the only spot on the menu for this stretch. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows that’ll get you out of bed.

Right now, the water temp is about 54°, which is a bit colder than you’d normally expect for this time of year. Not ideal, but you’ll forget that if the waves line up.

The start of the period is a bit of a wash. Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st have some waves, but the wind is messy—cross and cross-onshore—and the quality just isn’t there. Small, choppy stuff. Not worth the paddle.

Then we get to the real standout. Wednesday the 2nd of September is the one. The morning has clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NW, and the swell is a solid 8ft from the South, with a long period of 13 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The combined wave energy is strong at 2777. By the afternoon, it goes glassy—dead calm, NNW breeze—swell bumps up slightly to 8ft with a very long 17-second period, and the energy jumps to 3882 (very strong). This is expert territory. Over 8ft is only for those who know what they’re doing. That long period will make the reef lines stack up, but the gaps between sets will be longer. If you’re experienced, this is your window.

Thursday the 3rd sees the swell drop to a more manageable 5ft in the morning, but the wind goes cross-shore, making it lumpy. The afternoon cleans up, but the swell drops to 4ft. It’s surfable but not a standout.

From Friday the 4th through to the 6th of September, the swell fades and the energy drops into the double digits (weak). There’s a small window on Saturday the 5th afternoon with 4ft from the SSW, but the conditions are ordinary. Not much to write home about.

Looking ahead, there’s a big one brewing. Monday the 7th of September morning features a huge 13ft SSW swell, but here’s the catch—that’s too big for Blacks Reef. It’ll be a washing machine. Combined energy is 3241 (very strong), and strong cross-shore winds from the WNW will make it even messier. This is more of a kitesurfing setup than a paddle surfing one. The afternoon sees 10ft with onshore wind and rain. Hard pass.

The rest of the second week thins out. Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th have some small clean waves (4ft to 5ft), but nothing that will get your heart racing. There’s a glassy, clean morning on Thursday the 10th of September with a short-period 4ft SSW swell (6 seconds)—cruisy but not powerful. After that, it’s mostly onshore wind, cross-chop, and small, weak swell. Saturday the 13th of September morning has a clean 4ft from the S, but that’s about it. The window from the 11th to the 14th is mostly poor.

Best on offer: Wednesday the 2nd of September. Morning and afternoon both deliver excellent, clean conditions for experienced surfers. The swell is overhead and the energy is massive. Don’t miss it if you’re up for the challenge.

Rusty.

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