Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 13s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 18s period, S swell with 2,654 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period with SSW 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 (Aug 24) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 17s. 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 2.1m 18s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s shaping up for Blacks Reef. It’s a solid run of surf, but we’ve got a bit of a wait before the real magic happens.
The overall pattern kicks off with some clean, but smaller waves, and then builds into a couple of absolute standout sessions. There’s a gnarly, oversized swell right at the end of the window that’s only for the brave, and then a gorgeous, powerful day that’s the real pick of the bunch.
First up, we’ve got Monday the 24th of August. The morning is a little messy with a cross-shore wind, but the afternoon cleans right up. You’ll see a 4ft swell from the south with a long 14-second period. The wind turns light and cross-offshore, making for clean conditions. The combined energy is moderate (815). A solid afternoon session for a beginner-friendly reef.
Tuesday the 25th is a beauty. The morning has a light cross-off breeze, with a 4ft south swell at 12 seconds. By the afternoon, the wind goes completely glassy, zero, dead calm. The swell drops a touch to 4ft, but the period stays at 12 seconds. The energy is moderate (470). This is a top contender for the cleanest, most user-friendly wave of the early part of the outlook. For a beginner spot, this is perfect.
Wednesday the 26th keeps the good times rolling. The morning is glassy with a tiny 3ft swell, but here’s the kicker: the period is a whopping 17 seconds. That’s very long-period groundswell energy, and the combined energy is still a solid 503. It’ll be a bit wait for the sets, but the shape will be unreal. The afternoon stays clean with a 3ft, 16-second south swell. Lovely.
Now, Thursday the 27th of August is a standout. The morning is glassy, with a 5ft south swell and an incredible 18-second period. The combined energy jumps to 1573 – that’s strong, powerful water moving. The report says excellent for experienced surfers, and I’d second that. The long period makes it excellent for this reef, but the size is getting into the “too big for beginners” range. The afternoon is a bit bigger at 7ft, but the wind picks up to a cross-offshore breeze. Still very good, but the morning glass is the peak.
We’ve got good, clean conditions through Friday the 28th, Saturday the 29th, and into the morning of Sunday the 30th. The swell stays in the 3ft to 5ft range with decent south energy. Sunday afternoon gets a bit of a reset, but it goes glassy again with a 4ft swell.
The week starts to get messy on Monday the 31st of August with strong onshore winds. The surf is poor. Tuesday the 1st of September is a redemption. The morning is a real standout. Offshore wind from the north, a 5ft south swell with a 16-second period, and the combined energy is a strong 1278. Clean, powerful, and well-shaped. Expert-friendly, but the size is still manageable for a confident intermediate. That’s another top session.
The following days get a bit wild. Wednesday the 2nd of September sees a 10ft swell with onshore wind – that’s a choppy, powerful mess, only for the very experienced. Thursday the 3rd is poor with cross-shore winds.
Then we hit the big one. Friday the 4th of September. The morning shows an 12ft south swell with a 21-second period. The combined energy is a massive 11986. The report says it’s too big for this break. I’m telling you, unless you’re a pro on a gun, stay on the beach. Saturday the 5th of September is the climax. The morning is clean, with offshore wind, a 10ft south swell, and a 14-second period. The energy is 3419. The report says excellent for experienced surfers. This is the biggest, cleanest, most powerful wave of the entire outlook. For experts only. The afternoon is still big at 8ft but gets a bit wind-affected.
The surf eases back into the 5ft to 6ft range through Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th of September, with clean conditions, before the window closes.
If you’re a beginner, hit Tuesday the 25th or Wednesday the 26th of August. If you’re experienced, don’t miss the morning of Thursday the 27th of August or the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September. For the big-dog crew, the morning of Saturday the 5th of September is the one to circle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SSW 9 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 15 | S 17 | S 16 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
44 | 371 | 694 | 1021 | 439 | 347 | 215 | 386 | 494 | 454 | 1561 | 2654 | 1571 | 901 | 640 | 416 | 266 | 313 | 251 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 2:10AM1.45m | 2:43PM1.52m | 2:58AM1.40m | 3:28PM1.49m | 3:46AM1.38m | 4:13PM1.49m | 4:33AM1.38m | 4:59PM1.50m | 5:22AM1.41m | 5:47PM1.53m | 6:11AM1.46m | 6:33PM1.57m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:23AM0.46m | 8:57PM0.47m | 9:11AM0.44m | 9:43PM0.43m | 10:00AM0.41m | 10:29PM0.39m | 10:48AM0.36m | 11:15PM0.34m | 11:32AM0.32m | 00:03AM0.30m | 12:17PM0.28m | 00:49AM0.26m | |||||||
— | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 13 |
Feels °C | 6 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 5 | SSW 9 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 17 | S 16 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 6 |
11 | 371 | 694 | 1021 | 439 | 347 | 146 | 386 | 494 | 454 | 1561 | 2654 | 1571 | 901 | 640 | 416 | 266 | 313 | 130 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | ESE 13 | SSW 7 | SE 13 | SE 13 | S 18 | S 15 | S 10 | SE 13 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | NE 5 | S 14 | NE 5 | S 11 |
44 | 34 | 86 | 28 | 27 | 97 | 215 | 90 | 27 | 23 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 107 | 3 | 251 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | S 18 | ESE 13 | NE 3 | NE 4 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 13 | E 10 | NNE 3 | — | — | E 16 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 14 | NE 7 | ESE 13 | ENE 10 |
8 | 6 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 9 | 8 | 29 | 7 | 17 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 3 | — | — | NNE 4 | WNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NW 3 | NNW 3 | — | — |
2 | — | — | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
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)
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.











