Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 19s period, S swell with 5,498 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 14s period with S 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s. 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 3.0m 19s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 19s |
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 coming up for Blacks Reef over the next couple of weeks. We've got a solid run of south swell on the charts, but the wind is going to be the real story – it's not all clean, so you gotta pick your moments.
The first few days are a bit of a mixed bag. Sunday morning (July 19) sees a decent 7ft south swell rolling in with an 18-second period, but it's cross-shore and the surf is marginal – not worth rushing out. Monday is even worse with onshore winds. The real standout comes on Tuesday afternoon (July 21). That's when the wind drops to glassy, and we've got a clean 7ft south swell with a 15-second period. The combined energy is moderate (1821), and the reef should handle that long period beautifully. This is the best session of the near-term – expect clean, lined-up waves for experienced surfers. But be warned, this spot is consistent and often crowded, so you'll have company.
After that, the swell drops off quickly. Wednesday and Thursday (July 22–23) have smaller waves (4ft–3ft) but with light offshore or glassy conditions – still fun for a longboard or a beginner session. Then from Friday (July 24) through to Monday (July 27) it goes flat and messy with strong onshore winds and leftover chop. Not worth a paddle.
Things start to look up again toward the end of the month. Wednesday morning (July 29) brings another clean window: glassy conditions, 5ft SSE swell with a 9-second period – a bit shorter but still fun. The energy is low (576), but the glassy surface makes it rideable. Thursday (July 30) also looks good with light offshore winds and 5ft SE swell. This second window is promising but further out, so keep an eye on the forecast.
Overall, the best on offer is that Tuesday afternoon session – get out there if you can. The rest of the week is mostly small or blown out, but the end of July has a few clean days worth chasing.
Keep it salty,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 15 | S 19 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 11 | S 10 | E 8 | SW 4 | E 10 | SE 16 | SW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2796 | 1903 | 1452 | 1415 | 3791 | 4638 | 2594 | 1722 | 905 | 501 | 336 | 268 | 268 | 78 | 39 | 31 | 32 | 39 | 78 | 93 | 595 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:27AM1.75m | 9:50PM1.81m | 10:17AM1.72m | 10:42PM1.74m | 11:07AM1.68m | 11:33PM1.68m | 11:59AM1.65m | 00:24AM1.62m | 12:54PM1.62m | 1:14AM1.58m | 1:46PM1.61m | 2:03AM1.55m | 2:36PM1.59m | 2:51AM1.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:36PM0.13m | 4:12AM0.14m | 4:30PM0.21m | 5:02AM0.20m | 5:23PM0.29m | 5:51AM0.28m | 6:15PM0.36m | 6:39AM0.36m | 7:08PM0.42m | 7:27AM0.42m | 8:00PM0.47m | 8:15AM0.47m | 8:50PM0.50m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — |
 | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 15 | S 19 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 11 | ENE 7 | S 10 | E 8 | E 7 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 15 |
| kJ | 2796 | 1903 | 1452 | 1415 | 3791 | 4638 | 2594 | 1722 | 905 | 501 | 336 | 268 | 268 | 61 | 18 | 31 | 32 | 9 | 78 | 66 | 218 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 11 | S 12 | SSE 11 | ENE 7 | S 9 | E 9 | SSW 5 | SE 16 | E 9 |
| kJ | 488 | 363 | 244 | 169 | 167 | 130 | 97 | 99 | 56 | 39 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 78 | 39 | 9 | 27 | 14 | 14 | 93 | 28 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 19 | ESE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | E 4 | ESE 12 | S 12 | SE 11 | SSW 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | S 9 | S 8 | S 6 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 434 | 174 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 15 | 3 | 30 | 35 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 26 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 4 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | ENE 3 | NNW 2 | N 3 | NNE 4 | SW 4 | NW 2 | NW 3 | SW 7 |
| kJ | — | 25 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 1 | 5 | 595 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 82 | 11 | 10 | 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)
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