Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 11s period, SSE swell with 7,453 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s 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 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Blacks Reef in the next 16 days are 5.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Tuesday (Jul 14) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s walk through it.
First few days are rough. No good surf till later.
Wednesday 8th through Sunday 12th – Avoid it. Cross-onshore winds, lumpy and choppy. Swell height runs from 5 ft to 8 ft, with combined energy moderate (538 to 1303). Poor or just marginal. Thursday 9th is a mess with 12 ft to 13 ft swell and strong winds – not clean, not for the average surfer.
Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th – Clean sky, light offshore or glassy wind, but the swell is tiny: 1 ft to 2 ft. Energy is weak (76 to 280). You can paddle a log, but that’s it.
Wednesday 15th through Monday 20th – Mostly marginal but getting better. Winds stay light or cross-off. Swell 2 ft to 7 ft from the SE. Wednesday 15th has a 2 ft swell with an 11-second period – long period, but small. Thursday 16th sees a jump to 7 ft–7 ft with a very long 14-second period. That’s groundswell and will have real shape, but at a beach break it might run straight – still, light wind means it’s workable. Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th are the best before the monster: clean cross-off wind, 5 ft–6 ft swell from the SE with good 10–13 sec period, energy moderate to strong (1070 to 1839). Expect crowds at this spot.
Monday 21st – Clean light cross-off wind, but the swell jumps to 10 ft from the east with a short 8-second period. Energy is strong (1171). Tuesday 22nd – now we’re talking. Swell hits 16 ft from the east, 10-second period. Combined energy is 5396 – very strong. Wind is clean cross-off. That’s massive, powerful, and only for experienced surfers. Wednesday 22nd morning goes glassy, swell still 13 ft from the east, 11-second period – still huge and clean. Thursday 23rd sees 7 ft swell with clean offshore wind.
Water temp is 56°, about 2° cooler than normal for this time of year, so a bit chilly.
For the standout: if you’ve got the skills, Tuesday 21st afternoon through Wednesday 22nd at Blacks Reef is the big one. 13 ft to 16 ft, clean, powerful. Not for the faint of heart. For a safer bet, Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th with 5 ft–6 ft clean swell is the best moderate option – but expect the lineup to be full.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 41mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 12°C on Wed morning, min 9°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Wed night, strong winds from the S by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 8°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 9 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SSW 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 717 | 692 | 562 | 2252 | 3298 | 7453 | 4137 | 2526 | 1271 | 865 | 1019 | 587 | 450 | 343 | 206 | 155 | 110 | 70 | 49 | 61 | 114 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:34AM1.57m | 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 | ||||||||
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 | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — |
 | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 6 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 19 | S 17 | S 17 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 717 | 692 | 562 | 433 | 425 | 143 | 153 | 147 | 1271 | 865 | 1019 | 587 | 450 | 343 | 206 | 155 | 110 | 70 | 47 | 61 | 114 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | — | SSW 18 | — | S 12 | S 20 | S 19 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | NE 5 | S 9 |
| kJ | 37 | 33 | 34 | 54 | 116 | — | 182 | — | 73 | 71 | 249 | 334 | 268 | 171 | 174 | 108 | 98 | 31 | 49 | 7 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | S 13 | S 19 | — | — | — | — | — | S 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 7 | S 7 | — | S 15 | — | S 13 | ESE 10 | S 9 | S 12 |
| kJ | 104 | 92 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | 121 | 47 | 35 | 33 | 47 | 24 | — | 17 | — | 30 | 10 | 15 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 3 | — | SSW 8 | S 9 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | N 2 | NE 3 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NW 3 | NW 3 |
| kJ | 5 | — | 422 | 2252 | 3298 | 7453 | 4137 | 2526 | 394 | 204 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 3 | 89 | 89 | 139 | 162 | 162 | 91 | 79 | 41 | 88 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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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