Blacks Reef Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.07° S 177.80° E

Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 03 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Blacks Reef sea temperature is
12.5°C
1.2° 

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 3 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, S swell with 1,782 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 13s period. 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 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 6PM. 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 5s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 12AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Thu 3rd Sep)4.5ft (1.4m) 13s
Best Surf 3PM (Thu 3rd Sep)4.5ft (1.4m) 13s
Most Powerful 6PM (Mon 7th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 10s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what’s on the cards for Blacks Reef.

First thing to note, the water is a bit cooler than normal for this time of year, sitting at 55°. If you’re heading out, a decent wetsuit is a must.

The week kicks off with a solid pulse of south swell, with combined energy of 1077, but it's not just any swell—we're talking a 6ft south groundswell with a 13-second period. That’s proper power, and it’ll be pushing hard through the reef. This is for Thursday morning, September 3rd. A light NW cross-off breeze is the magic ingredient here, keeping things clean for experienced surfers only—this is too big for the beginners.

Thursday afternoon eases off a touch to 5ft, still with that long southerly period, and the wind goes even lighter. Good waves, but the quality stays high.

Now, Friday the 4th through to Sunday the 6th sees the swell drop away significantly, down to under 3ft. Sloppy, ordinary conditions with moderate onshores. It's a write-off for paddle surfing—more of a kite day if you're into that.

Monday the 7th looks pretty grim with rain and a strong onshore whipping up 10ft of windswell. Not the place to be.

The standout window hits on Tuesday the 8th. Clean offshore NNE wind at 9 mph meets a long 6ft S swell (10-second period) for excellent, clean conditions. Crowds? Yeah, it’s _often_ packed because everyone knows this is one of the best setups around, so get in early. The combined energy is a strong 599. This is the best on offer in the near term.

Wednesday the 9th is a drop-off with onshore wind, so not worth the paddle.

After a few days of small, choppy leftovers, we get another promising blip on Friday the 11th. A 8ft SSW windswell with short 8-second period arrives with light crosswind, but it’s a bit raw and messy for the reef. Still, expect some wedgy, bowling waves if you pick the right bank. This one is for the experienced crew, and the combined energy is pumping at 1082.

The following weekend gets smashed by a strong SW onshore storm. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th see a massive 10ft+ of messy, lumpy swell with gale-force winds—that is full-on survival conditions and 3813 combined energy. Unless you're towing in, stay out.

There is one last ray of hope way out on Wednesday the 16th. The forecast shows a glassy afternoon with a clean 8ft south groundswell riding a long 15-second period. Combined energy is a heavyweight 2294. That kind of period on a reef like Blacks is a dream—powerful, lined-up waves, but a long wait between sets. This is only for experts due to the size. It’s two weeks out, so take it with a grain of salt, but it has potential to be the best session of the whole outlook if it holds.

For my money, Tuesday the 8th is the clear winner for clean, powerful surf without the extreme size and storm chaos. After that, if you're an experienced charger, keep an eye on that Wednesday the 16th promise.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue morning).

Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
3
2
0
0
1
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.8
S
13
1.4
S
13
1.1
S
12
0.8
S
11
0.6
S
10
0.4
S
10
0.9
SSW
8
0.7
SSW
8
0.6
S
9
0.7
SSW
10
0.4
SSW
17
0.5
S
17
0.3
SSW
11
3
SSW
8
2.3
S
10
1.8
S
10
1.5
S
9
1.3
S
9
1.2
S
9
1
SSE
9
0.8
SSE
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1077
613
325
146
71
29
89
75
54
102
100
149
22
1072
1045
587
375
281
246
164
90
Wind (km/h)
10
NW
5
N
20
WNW
20
NW
25
NW
15
WNW
5
NW
15
ENE
10
NW
15
NW
20
NNW
15
N
15
WNW
30
SSW
15
SSW
15
NNE
15
NNW
25
SW
10
W
15
ENE
10
NW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
on
on
off
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
9:59AM1.73m
10:30PM1.68m
10:50AM1.74m
11:22PM1.67m
11:46AM1.74m
00:17AM1.65m
12:46PM1.73m
1:15AM1.63m
1:45PM1.73m
2:15AM1.61m
2:43PM1.74m
3:14AM1.61m
3:41PM1.74m
Low Tide
4:20PM0.25m
4:42AM0.24m
5:13PM0.25m
5:34AM0.23m
6:09PM0.23m
6:29AM0.21m
7:08PM0.21m
7:26AM0.19m
8:07PM0.18m
8:26AM0.16m
9:05PM0.15m
9:27AM0.13m
10:02PM0.13m
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:28
6:26
6:26
6:24
6:22
6:20
6:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:46
5:47
5:49
5:50
5:51
5:52
5:52
 mm
3
4
1
Temp °C
18
19
15
16
17
14
15
15
12
15
17
17
15
11
10
14
15
11
12
14
12
Feels °C
15
16
11
12
12
9
13
11
9
11
12
13
12
5
5
12
11
7
10
10
8
  • 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