
Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSE swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 11s period, S swell with 6,295 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 6 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 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 Monday (Jul 06) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be 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 9AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 9s period and expected on Monday (Jul 06) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Mon 6th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into what's cookin' for our local stretch. Right now it's flat and not worth your time, but there's a pulse of energy comin' through early next week. The first few days are pretty damn quiet, so don't rush out.
We're starting at Blacks Reef on the afternoon of July 5th. It's a tiny knee-high wave, about 3 ft from the ESE, with a short, weak period. The water's at 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so grab the 5/4. The wind is light offshore from the NNE, so the surface will be clean, but the energy is weak, makin' it more of a log session than anything proper. This reef breaks often, but the crowds are often there too, so expect some company.
The real standout of this whole run is set for the morning and afternoon of July 6th and into the morning of July 7th. On Monday the 6th, we see the swell buildin' from 4 ft up to 6 ft through the day, comin' straight out of the east. The wind stays light offshore and goes glassy on the Monday afternoon, makin' for some real clean, smooth surf. Tuesday morning the 7th is the absolute gem: a solid 5 ft from the east, but the wind is dead glass. This is your best window, no question. The swell period is modest, so it's not a heavy groundswell, but with those clean conditions and decent size, Blacks Reef will be pumpin' with fun, user-friendly lines.
From Tuesday afternoon the 7th onwards, it turns ugly. The wind swings onshore from the SSW, and the swell gets big and messy. By July 8th and 9th, we're lookin' at 7 ft to over 7 ft of east-southeast swell, but the wind is howlin' onshore, makin' it a choppy, blown-out mess. The energy is strong, but it's wasted. The swell goes south and the period drops short, so it's just lumpy.
Then the big stuff arrives. July 10th brings a massive pulse: 18 ft from the south with an onshore gale. The energy is extreme, but this is strictly for the experts and kite surfers only. The conditions are dangerous and ugly for a paddle surfer. This big, blown-out mess sticks around through the weekend and into the start of the next week.
We get a breather around July 14th and 15th. The swell drops back to 4 ft to 6 ft, comin' from the SE and ESE with a nice, long period. The wind turns light and goes cross-off or glassy again. These windows are clean and offer another good, though smaller, chance for a wave.
After that, the last few days of the forecast, from July 16th through the 19th, drop right off to tiny waves of 1 ft to 3 ft with very low energy. The wind is offshore but the swell is just too small to be worthwhile. We see a brief uptick on July 20th with 6 ft from the SSW, but it's a short-period, wind-affected swell again.
So, to sum it up: don't bother with the board until late Sunday afternoon July 5th for a tiny warm-up, then circle Monday afternoon July 6th and especially Tuesday morning July 7th on your calendar. That's your best shot for clean, solid waves. After that, it's a week of big, nasty swell before a couple of small, clean windows around the 14th and 15th. The far-out stuff on the 20th has too much wind to get excited about.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Wed night, strong winds from the S by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
167 | 268 | 252 | 614 | 529 | 425 | 552 | 917 | 1022 | 836 | 678 | 440 | 958 | 3125 | 6295 | 4546 | 4946 | 3923 | 2549 | 1869 | 1520 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on |
High Tide | 9:44PM1.57m | 10:05AM1.50m | 10:30PM1.58m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:27PM0.35m | 4:02AM0.31m | 4:14PM0.35m | 4:46AM0.31m | 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 | |||||||
— | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | |
4:58 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 4:59 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | 5:01 | |
mm | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Temp °C | 14 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 11 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | SSW 18 | — | — | SSW 22 | SSW 20 | SE 10 | SSE 10 |
167 | 268 | 252 | 614 | 529 | 425 | 552 | 917 | 1022 | 836 | 678 | 416 | 442 | 431 | 180 | — | — | 45 | 132 | 1522 | 1520 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 20 | — | — | — | SSW 21 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | S 16 |
6 | 5 | 4 | 31 | 109 | 59 | 77 | 48 | 38 | 57 | 52 | 54 | 85 | 75 | — | — | — | 90 | 79 | 318 | 186 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 15 | S 22 | S 13 | S 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | S 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 5 | 9 | 3 | 165 | 97 | 86 | 81 | 68 | 60 | 9 | 90 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | — | ENE 9 | — | ENE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | S 8 | S 7 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | — |
178 | — | 486 | — | 567 | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | 440 | 958 | 3125 | 6295 | 4546 | 4946 | 3923 | 2549 | 1869 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 73 | 89 | 82 | 162 | 169 | 162 | 162 | 91 | 82 | 79 |
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.











