Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with 3,830 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period with E 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 Tuesday (Jul 07) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m 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 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright folks, Rusty here. We’re looking at Blacks Reef over the next couple of weeks. This is a reef setup that’s exposed to the south, so it picks up most swells, and it’s beginner-friendly when the size is right. The water temperature is sitting at 55.6°, which is about 2.3° cooler than usual for this time of year – definitely a bit colder than average, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.
The week kicks off with some promise. Tuesday morning (July 7) we’ve got a 5.2 ft easterly swell wrapping in with a 9-second period. The combined wave energy is moderate (583), but what makes it special is the glassy conditions – light westerly wind, just 3 mph. That’ll make for clean, smooth faces. The reef handles it well, and crowds are often here, so expect company. It’s a solid choice for a morning session, especially if you’re after something mellow. By afternoon the wind shifts onshore, so the window is tight.
Wednesday and Thursday (July 8-9) see the swell pick up but the wind turns cross-onshore, making things choppy. Thursday morning pushes 6.6 ft from the south at 10 seconds, energy climbing to 1337 (moderate-strong), but the southerly breeze messes with the shape. Thursday afternoon gets ugly: 9.8 ft swell, strong cross-onshore wind at 12 mph, and energy at 2171 (strong). That’s getting into expert territory, and the conditions are poor. Friday (July 10) is a write-off – 14.8 ft swell with 25 mph cross-onshore wind and energy at 3869 (very strong). Don’t even think about it unless you’re after a beating. Saturday (July 11) drops to 8.2 ft but still onshore wind, so still messy.
The turnaround comes Sunday (July 12). The swell drops to 5.6 ft from the southeast, period 9 seconds, and the afternoon goes glassy again – 3 mph southerly wind, dead calm. Energy is moderate (786), and the wave comment says “very good surf conditions.” That’s a legit call. The reef will offer clean, peeling waves. Crowds are often, but with conditions like that, it’s worth fighting for a spot.
Monday (July 13) and Tuesday (July 14) keep the swell around 3.3-3.9 ft, with offshore or cross-offshore winds from the north. These are clean but smaller days, energy dropping to 291 and 220. Good for a longboard or a fun board, but nothing exciting.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, strong winds from the S by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Very mild (max 11°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Fri morning, calm by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 427 | 602 | 821 | 717 | 573 | 551 | 851 | 1729 | 2602 | 3715 | 3153 | 2377 | 1403 | 1306 | 773 | 535 | 488 | 328 | 231 | 182 | 165 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:48AM1.53m | 11:16PM1.60m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:01PM0.35m | 5:32AM0.31m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — |
 | — | 4:59 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 10 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SSW 20 | S 17 | — | E 10 | SSW 15 | S 19 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 427 | 602 | 821 | 717 | 573 | 551 | 851 | 1729 | 75 | 154 | — | 235 | 78 | 270 | 773 | 535 | 488 | 328 | 231 | 182 | 165 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | NE 8 | — | — | S 15 | S 21 | SSW 10 | S 17 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 59 | 78 | 68 | 51 | 48 | 51 | 433 | 442 | 17 | — | — | 119 | 34 | 36 | 351 | 352 | 261 | 276 | 171 | 104 | 47 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 18 | S 17 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 21 | SSW 14 | — | SSW 7 | S 7 | — | E 12 | S 16 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 97 | 86 | 81 | 104 | 92 | 26 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | 68 | — | 52 | 37 | — | 3 | 5 | 56 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 3 | W 3 | SSW 7 | — | — | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | S 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 89 | — | — | 2602 | 3715 | 3153 | 2377 | 1403 | 1306 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 103 | 157 | 162 | 162 | 89 | 79 | 88 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Blacks Reef surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest