Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Blacks Reef over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a bit of a rough start, but there’s some real magic shaping up for the end of the week if you’re patient.

The first few days are a write-off, I’m sorry to say. Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th are getting hammered by strong onshore winds and messy, blown-out conditions. The swell is big, with waves around 16ft on Wednesday and 10ft on Thursday, but it’s all coming from the south with a strong onshore wind. The water’s sitting at 55°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year. It’s just ugly out there.

Then, Friday the 7th morning is where things start to turn. We get a proper shift. The wind drops right out to glassy conditions, with a light offshore from the northwest. The swell drops to a solid 6ft from the SSE, with a period of 10 seconds. The wave energy is still strong (1720), and it’s cleaning right up. This is excellent for experienced surfers – the size is up there, but the conditions will be perfect. Friday afternoon looks just as good, with a 6ft swell from the south, a long 15-second period, and a clean cross-offshore breeze. The energy is still pumping (2061). This is the standout of the whole outlook, no doubt.

Saturday the 8th keeps the good run going. Morning has a 7ft south swell (13-second period) with a clean cross-off wind, and the energy is still strong (1421). The afternoon drops a touch to 6ft but stays clean. This is for the experienced crew again – the swell is over 5ft, so it’s not for beginners.

Sunday the 9th sees the swell ease to 4ft in the morning and 4ft in the afternoon, but we get a proper offshore wind from the north and north-northeast, making for clean, fun waves. The energy is moderate (564 and 515). Good conditions for a wider range of surfers.

Monday the 10th is smaller, with 3ft waves and a clean cross-off breeze in the morning, but the afternoon gets a light cross-on wind that messes it up a bit. From there, the surf drops right off. From Tuesday the 11th through to the 20th, it’s mostly small, weak, and ordinary. There are a few clean windows with offshore winds and small waves (2ft to 3ft), but nothing that gets the heart racing. The swell energy drops into the low double and triple digits, and the period is short or inconsistent.

There’s a bit of a pulse around the 15th and 16th with some long-period south swell (20 seconds and 19 seconds), but the wind is either cross-on or cross-shore, making it choppy and poor. The 16th afternoon has a 3ft, 16-second swell with light cross-shore wind – it’s marginal. The 18th sees a 8ft SSW swell but with a strong onshore wind, so that’s a no-go. And the 19th is a big, windy mess again.

So, to cut it short: the best surfing is locked in for Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th. Get out there if you can handle the size and you’ll score some of the cleanest, most powerful waves we’ll see all outlook. After that, it’s a long wait for anything worthwhile.

Rusty.

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