Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period, S swell with 266 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 15s. 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 1.7m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s check the waves for Blacks Reef.
First thing – the water’s running about 55°F, which is a bit cooler than normal for the season.
The best window kicks off Thursday, September 3rd. We’ve got a solid south swell pushing 5ft with a 13-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 613. A light north offshore wind is grooming the faces, so it should be clean and punchy. This is the pick of the early period.
From Friday the 4th through to Tuesday the 8th, it’s mostly a bust. The swell drops right off and the wind turns ugly. Sunday morning has some waist-high waves with a bit of period, but the wind is cross-off and it’s nothing special.
Tuesday afternoon the 8th goes glassy for a moment with a 4ft south swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds – fat and lacking push.
From Wednesday the 9th to Friday the 11th, the wind stays messy and the surf stays small. There’s a big spike in energy on the 11th with a very long 21-second period south swell (combined energy 390), but a strong 19 mph cross-shore wind makes it lumpy. That long period would be better suited to a point break, not here with the wind cross.
Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are blown out with strong onshore winds. Sunday morning sees a huge 13ft south swell, but it’s straight onshore and completely messy.
Now, Monday the 14th of September – the swell hits a massive 21ft from the south, 16-second period, and the combined energy is enormous at 31483. But it’s predicted to be too big for this break. Only for experts, and with a moderate cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be dangerous and chaotic.
Tuesday the 15th is still big and dropping, but still onshore and poor.
We get a decent window on Wednesday the 16th morning: 5ft south-southeast swell, 11-second period, combined energy 614, and a light offshore breeze from the northeast. Clean conditions. This is the standout for the second week – promising but keep an eye on it.
Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th fade out. Friday afternoon has a 2ft south swell with a 13-second period, light offshore, and combined energy of 365. Small but clean – good for a log.
So the real highlight is Thursday the 3rd of September. For the second week, Wednesday the 16th morning is the one to watch.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 18 | S 17 | S 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 9 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 613 | 325 | 144 | 71 | 29 | 96 | 83 | 143 | 102 | 102 | 149 | 46 | 32 | 30 | 38 | 156 | 202 | 124 | 150 | 113 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | 8 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 8 |
Feels °C | 17 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 11 | SSW 10 | S 9 | S 17 | SSW 10 | NE 7 | SSW 10 | S 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 10 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 |
| kJ | 613 | 325 | 144 | 71 | 29 | 96 | 83 | 143 | 102 | 41 | 149 | 34 | 59 | 30 | 38 | 156 | 35 | 124 | 150 | 113 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | S 15 | S 15 | NE 5 | ENE 4 | SSW 18 | E 10 | S 16 | SSW 10 | NE 5 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | SSW 10 | NE 9 | NE 4 |
| kJ | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 102 | 2 | 46 | 32 | 7 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 30 | 20 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNE 4 | S 20 | S 17 | S 16 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 18 | NE 4 | — | E 9 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | NE 10 | E 9 | NE 7 | E 15 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 8 | 24 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 26 | 1 | — | 2 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | WNW 4 | SW 4 | NW 3 | ENE 2 | WNW 2 | NW 3 | — | NNE 3 | NE 4 | — | — | W 3 | — | S 7 | — | — | NW 3 |
| kJ | — | 5 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 34 | — | — | 1 | — | 202 | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 10 | 3 | 33 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 89 | 9 | 0 | 79 | 73 | 6 | 0 |
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