Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 21 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, S swell with 4,804 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 16 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period with SSE 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 Wednesday (Sep 16) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. 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 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 7s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Mon 21st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Mon 21st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for Blacks Reef over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, it’s going to take a while to get anything good.
We’re looking at a long dry spell to kick things off. The first week is pretty grim with no real recommendations until we hit next week. The swell energy stays weak to moderate for most of it, and the winds are all over the shop. There are a few windows where it might be rideable, but nothing to get excited about.
Wednesday the 24th of September is the standout here. Thursday afternoon the conditions are looking sweet. We’ve got a clean 7ft swell rolling in from the S, with the period at 9 seconds. The real highlight is the wind – it’s going to be glassy. That means the surface will be like a mirror. The combined swell energy sits at (795), which is solid. This is the best session of the whole forecast by a long shot. The wind is offshore from the S, so it’ll be holding up the line-up nicely. Crowds are often a thing at Blacks Reef, so expect company.
Leading into that, the morning of the 22nd is a smaller, quieter option. You’ve got a 3ft swell from the SSW, with a 10-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NW, so it’ll be clean. Combined energy is (280) – not huge, but it’s a good call for a mellow session.
Further out, on the morning of the 1st of October, the glassy wind returns. We’ll have a 3ft S swell with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and at a reef break like Blacks Reef, that’s a good thing. The energy is (502). A promising long-range tip, but you know how it goes – keep an eye on it.
The rest of the month is a write-off. There’s a big, windy event on the 21st with a 15ft S swell (6192 combined energy), but with the wind smashing it onshore, it’s going to be a washing machine. Not for the faint-hearted or the beginner. A few other days have some size, but the quality just isn’t there.
So, for the first week, you’re better off waxing the car than the board. Hang in there and aim for the 24th.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 6°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Sun morning, calm by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 12 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SSW 14 | SW 12 | SSW 8 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 124 | 99 | 224 | 138 | 122 | 110 | 281 | 224 | 193 | 514 | 226 | 210 | 216 | 1580 | 3725 | 4179 | 2008 | 637 | 173 | 112 | 49 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | glassy | off | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:14AM1.76m | 9:39PM1.68m | 9:58AM1.72m | 10:25PM1.64m | 10:45AM1.66m | 11:11PM1.59m | 11:34AM1.60m | 11:55PM1.52m | 12:25PM1.54m | 00:41AM1.44m | 1:14PM1.49m | 1:29AM1.38m | 2:00PM1.46m | 2:18AM1.35m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:31PM0.34m | 3:51AM0.39m | 4:19PM0.39m | 4:38AM0.42m | 5:05PM0.42m | 5:24AM0.45m | 5:53PM0.44m | 6:09AM0.46m | 6:41PM0.45m | 6:53AM0.45m | 7:29PM0.44m | 7:39AM0.44m | 8:15PM0.41m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — |
 | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 13 | 8 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 18 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 12 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 7 | SE 12 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 |
| kJ | 124 | 99 | 224 | 138 | 122 | 110 | 281 | 224 | 117 | 190 | 162 | 37 | 75 | 60 | 27 | 20 | 2008 | 637 | 173 | 112 | 49 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | SE 12 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SSW 15 | SE 14 | NE 7 | S 16 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | ENE 10 | S 20 | — | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 7 | SE 9 | SE 6 |
| kJ | 17 | 53 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 97 | 28 | 47 | 193 | 32 | 121 | 210 | 20 | 38 | 31 | — | 25 | 15 | 38 | 21 | 15 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 13 | S 14 | S 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | ENE 10 | E 8 | SE 11 | SE 6 | — | — | — | — | SE 13 | SE 13 | SSW 12 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 25 | 25 | 17 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 85 | 10 | 32 | 119 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 26 | 28 | 49 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 2 | — | — | NW 3 | NNE 4 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 6 | S 5 | SSW 7 | S 7 | NW 2 | SW 12 | SSW 8 | S 11 | S 12 | — | — | NW 2 | — | SSW 2 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 41 | 63 | 38 | 119 | 514 | 226 | 1 | 216 | 1580 | 3725 | 4179 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 82 | 79 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 41 | 62 | 75 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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