Blacks Reef Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.07° S 177.80° E

Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 27 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Blacks Reef sea temperature is
12.2° C
1.8° 

Blacks Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Blacks Reef surf forecast from 27 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, S swell with 8,282 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. 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 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) 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 1.1m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 9AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Wed 29th Jul)6ft (1.9m) 13s
Best Surf12PM (Sat 1st Aug)11ft (3.5m) 11s
Most Powerful12AM (Mon 3rd Aug)15ft (4.5m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s get into it. The swell window is mostly shut for the next few days, but we’ve got a solid run of surf coming up. Let’s break it down.

The first real chance to get wet is Wednesday morning, 29 July. The water is sitting at 54°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – you’ll want a good hood and booties. The swell is a clean 6ft from the SE with a 13-second period, so there’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the NW, making for clean conditions. The combined energy is 1133 (moderate). This is a solid day for experienced surfers. The reef setup at Blacks Reef will handle that SE groundswell nicely, but with that period, it’s best suited for the reef or point – the beach breaks might get a bit straight. Crowds are often here, so expect company.

Wednesday afternoon holds similar – 6ft SE, 12-second period, cross-offshore wind from the ENE. Clean, with 1017 energy. Still good, still for experienced surfers.

Thursday morning, 30 July, the swell drops to 5ft from the ESE, 12 seconds, with a clean cross-off from the NNW. Energy drops to 690 (moderate). Still good, but smaller – a good day for a longboard or a fish if you’re looking for something a bit more relaxed.

The next standout is a bit further out. Sunday morning, 9 August is a big one. We’ve got a 12ft swell from the S, with a very long 17-second period. The combined energy is 6177 (very strong). Wind is offshore from the NNE, so it’ll be clean. However, this is a serious amount of water – the guidance says it’s too big for this break. That’s one for experts only, and even then, it’s a massive, powerful groundswell. The reef will handle it, but the paddle out will be a mission.

Sunday afternoon is a better bet for most – 8ft from the S, 15-second period, still offshore from the NE. Energy is 2906 (strong). This is a classic, powerful, clean afternoon. For experienced surfers, this is the pick of the week.

After that, the swell drops off through the next week. Monday 10 August morning has 5ft from the S, 13 seconds, offshore from the NNE. Energy is 801 (moderate). Clean, but smaller. Tuesday 11 August morning has 4ft from the S, 11 seconds, offshore from the N. Energy is 365 (weak). Clean, but marginal.

There’s a gap of poor conditions from Thursday 31 July through Wednesday 5 August, where the wind is onshore or cross-onshore and the swell is either too big or too messy. That’s a solid 6-day stretch of no recommendations.

So, the best bets are Wednesday 29 July for a clean, solid groundswell session, and Sunday 9 August afternoon for a powerful, clean, expert-level swell. The big Sunday morning is a monster – only for the brave.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 6°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Mon morning, calm by Wed morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Sat afternoon). Mainly strong winds.

Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
Sunday
2
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
1
1
3
4
4
4
2
2
2
1
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.4
ESE
13
2.5
S
8
1.6
SE
13
2.5
SE
13
2.3
SE
13
2.1
SE
13
1.9
SE
13
1.9
SE
12
1.7
ESE
12
1.4
ESE
12
1.3
ESE
11
1.1
ESE
11
1
ESE
12
0.9
ESE
11
1.6
SW
5
3
SSW
10
4
S
12
3.5
SSW
12
3
S
12
4.5
S
11
4.5
S
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
630
885
816
2046
1847
1417
1094
993
802
509
379
291
256
193
133
1773
4734
3904
2555
4776
8282
Wind (km/h)
25
WSW
30
SW
25
SSW
20
SW
15
SSW
10
SW
5
NW
15
ENE
15
NNW
15
NNW
15
NW
15
N
20
NNW
25
WNW
25
WNW
10
W
40
SW
35
S
45
SSW
50
SSW
45
S
Wind State
cross-on
on
on
on
on
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
on
on
on
on
on
High Tide
4:08PM1.56m
4:23AM1.45m
4:53PM1.55m
5:09AM1.43m
5:37PM1.55m
5:56AM1.42m
6:22PM1.55m
6:43AM1.44m
7:06PM1.57m
7:30AM1.47m
7:50PM1.58m
8:14AM1.51m
8:34PM1.61m
Low Tide
9:53AM0.48m
10:23PM0.49m
10:40AM0.45m
11:08PM0.46m
11:24AM0.41m
11:53PM0.41m
12:05PM0.37m
00:38AM0.36m
12:47PM0.33m
1:23AM0.32m
1:30PM0.31m
2:07AM0.29m
2:15PM0.29m
2:50AM0.27m
part cloud
cloud
cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:16
7:15
7:13
7:13
7:13
7:11
7:11
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:14
5:15
5:15
5:15
5:16
5:17
5:19
 mm
1
2
3
4
3
4
6
Temp °C
9
10
10
10
11
10
12
13
10
14
16
12
15
14
12
11
9
9
9
8
9
Feels °C
1
3
4
6
7
7
10
9
6
9
12
8
9
8
6
6
-1
1
-1
-4
-2
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Blacks Reef:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest