Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, gather round. Let’s talk about Blacks Reef. It’s a reef break that catches anything with south in it. Right now, the water’s sitting at 55°, which is a bit cooler than you’d normally find this time of year – you’ll want the thicker wetsuit.

The start of the run is pretty poor, to be honest. Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd are messy. There’s swell, but the wind is cross-on or cross, ruining any chance of clean lines. The wave energy is moderate to strong – readings around 2691 on Tuesday morning – but with that wind, it’s just a bumpy mess. Not worth it.

Thursday the 23rd is a cruel tease. The swell drops to 3ft from the south, but the wind goes offshore and it’s clean. The energy is weak at 210. A log or a foil might get wet, but for a proper surf, it’s borderline.

Friday the 24th is tiny and weak, and Saturday the 25th is a write-off. A strong cross-shore blow in the morning turns into a full-on onshore gale that afternoon, pumping up 6ft of sloppy windswell with a pathetic 6-second period. That’s just chop, not surf.

Then, Sunday the 26th. That’s the first real standout. The morning brings a clean 7ft south swell with a 9-second period and offshore wind. Wave energy is a strong 1614. It’s marked as excellent for experienced surfers, and I can see why – that’s a proper session. The afternoon glass-off with 4ft from the east-southeast is a nice bonus, but the morning is the one.

Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th are blown to bits again. Strong onshore wind, big messy swell over 8ft, energy in the thousands. It’s all power and no finesse. Stay out.

Wednesday the 29th is another clear winner. Glassy morning, 6ft of south swell with a 13-second period. That’s groundswell with serious push, and at a reef, it should wrap in beautifully. Energy is 1380. Thursday the 30th stays clean with 5ft and a 12-second period, but the energy drops to 794. Still fun, just not as punchy.

After that, it fades. Friday the 31st to Sunday the 2nd of August is small and messy, with weak energy readings under 700. Not worth the paddle.

Now, for the real heavyweight. Monday the 3rd of August. The forecast shows 16ft of south swell. The wind is glassy in the morning and cross-off in the afternoon. The energy is massive – 5809 in the morning, 9217 in the afternoon. But the warning is clear: it might be too big for this break. A reef with 16ft of south groundswell at 11 seconds is a slab. This is for the elite only. Tuesday the 4th of August is similar, with 12ft to 10ft and huge energy. Wednesday the 5th of August finally settles to a clean 5ft from the south, with an incredible 16-second period and offshore wind. The energy is still high at 2179. That afternoon is a genuine session for the experienced crew.

So the best bets: Sunday the 26th of July morning – 7ft, south, offshore. Classic. And Wednesday the 29th of July morning – glassy, 6ft, 13-second south swell. For the second week, Wednesday the 5th of August afternoon – 5ft, 16-second period, offshore wind. That’s the long-range call that looks tasty.

There’s a flat spell from the 31st of July through the 2nd of August, so plan around that.

This spot gets crowded often, so beat the crowd for the good ones.

Rusty.

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