
Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, S swell with 10,524 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s. 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 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag around here, and we’ve got to pick our moments. The ocean’s going to fire up at times, but there are some solid windows of junk to get through as well.
We start things off on Wednesday the 12th, but it's nothing to write home about. There’s some bumpy, cross-off wind with a lumpy 5ft SE swell at ten seconds, but it’s pretty marginal. The water’s running a touch cold for this time of year, a bit below average, so you’ll want the rubber either way. We’ll see some cleaner conditions move in as we head into Thursday the 13th. The morning looks the pick of the day with a light offshore and a clean 3ft SE swell. It's not big, but it'll be tidy. The afternoon drops off in size and quality.
Friday the 14th is pretty weak. The morning has a small 1ft groundswell, but it’s clean with a gentle offshore, so if you’re desperate for a couple of knee-slappers on the longboard, you might find something. The afternoon stays small.
Now listen, this is where it starts to get interesting. Saturday the 15th has some proper pulse in the water. The morning sees the swell jump to 6ft from the east with a moderate cross-off wind, and it’s got some energy to it. The afternoon cleans right up with the wind going glassy and the swell holding a solid 6ft. That's the best of the first week, no doubt. Clean, punchy, and the reef will be working.
But hold on, because Sunday the 16th is when it turns ugly. A strong SW wind swings in onshore, blowing out a building 10ft to 13ft swell. That’s just a mess. It’s too big for the beginners, and the conditions will be poor. This junk persists through Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th with strong onshores and huge, messy surf. At this point, with that much wind and swell, you’re better off looking at a kite than a surfboard, to be honest.
Here’s the standout, and it’s a week out, so mark your calendar for Wednesday the 19th. The morning shows a massive 15ft S groundswell with a long 16-second period, and even though the wind is a bit cross-on, it’s light. The combined energy is huge, really strong. Now, this spot is a reef, and this is a serious size. Over 8ft is experts-only territory, and this is pushing nearly double that. It could be one of those days you tell stories about, but it’s only for the boldest chargers. The afternoon stays big, but the wind swings onshore and it gets messy again.
Thursday the 20th sees the swell back down to a manageable 8ft with a long 12-second period and light winds. It’s still got some size, so it's not a learner's day, but for the experienced crew, the morning has some potential. The afternoon is similar, with a bit more onshore wind. Friday the 21st eases off further to 6ft, and it’s clean enough with light winds, but it's nothing special.
The second week is smaller and more about clean windows. Saturday the 22nd brings some glassy conditions in the morning with a 4ft south groundswell. It won’t be big, but it’ll be pretty. Sunday the 23rd is similar, with a tiny 2ft swell and glassy morning conditions. After that, the size fades out. From Monday the 24th through the end of the window, we’re looking at small, knee-to-waist high leftovers, with some clean morning windows mid-week, but nothing that’s going to get your heart racing. There’s barely any energy left by the 25th. A couple of these days are clean, but they are pretty weak.
So, in a nutshell: get on it Saturday the 15th for the fun, clean waves. The real standout is the massive groundswell on Wednesday the 19th, but that’s a proper big-wave day for experts only. Everything else in the first week is either blown out or small. The second week is for the patient ones on the longboards.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 51mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 7°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, strong winds from the SSW by Tue morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | SSW 8 | S 10 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
416 | 242 | 155 | 82 | 29 | 28 | 59 | 320 | 417 | 372 | 114 | 904 | 2678 | 3248 | 2736 | 2423 | 1729 | 820 | 3118 | 3833 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | on |
High Tide | 4:56PM1.86m | 5:26AM1.71m | 5:54PM1.87m | 6:24AM1.72m | 6:49PM1.87m | 7:19AM1.73m | 7:41PM1.84m | 8:11AM1.75m | 8:31PM1.81m | 9:00AM1.76m | 9:21PM1.76m | 9:46AM1.75m | 10:10PM1.71m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:18PM0.11m | 11:39AM0.06m | 00:16AM0.09m | 12:32PM0.05m | 1:11AM0.09m | 1:24PM0.08m | 2:02AM0.11m | 2:17PM0.13m | 2:51AM0.16m | 3:09PM0.20m | 3:39AM0.22m | 4:01PM0.28m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | |
5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | |
mm | — | 2 | 5 | 11 | 20 | — | 2 | 11 | — | — | 7 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 8 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ENE 6 | E 7 | SE 13 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | — | E 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | S 18 |
416 | 242 | 155 | 82 | 29 | 140 | 59 | 25 | 417 | 372 | 275 | 199 | 185 | 42 | 123 | — | 30 | 622 | 322 | 1099 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | ESE 13 | S 18 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 12 | — | — | — | E 10 | E 9 | — | E 11 |
39 | 52 | 28 | 42 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 7 | 17 | 25 | 114 | 88 | 15 | — | — | — | 98 | 25 | — | 57 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 14 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | S 15 | S 19 | SE 14 | SSW 17 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 28 | 15 | 18 | 27 | 7 | 96 | 15 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | NE 6 | E 7 | — | — | — | SSW 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | SSW 8 | S 10 | S 10 |
13 | 16 | 34 | 87 | 164 | 248 | 94 | 320 | — | — | — | 904 | 2678 | 3248 | 2736 | 2423 | 1729 | 820 | 3118 | 3833 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 139 | 162 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 75 | 91 | 280 | 75 |
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.











