Blacks Reef Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.07° S 177.80° E

Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 01 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Blacks Reef sea temperature is
12.6°C
1.0° 

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 1 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 13s period, SSW swell with 6,898 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 18s. 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 4.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 12AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Wed 2nd Sep)8ft (2.5m) 14s
Best Surf 9AM (Tue 8th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 12s
Most Powerful12AM (Tue 8th Sep)15ft (4.5m) 13s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up at Blacks Reef, but you’ve gotta be ready for the size. This is a reef break, exposed to the south, and it’s very consistent, so when the swell hits, it hits.

The action kicks off Wednesday, September 2nd. The morning is looking serious with a solid 8ft south swell, packing a very long 14-second period. That’s a lot of energy—(3076)—and it’s clean under a light cross-off breeze. This is a standout session for experienced surfers only. It’s well over 8ft, so this is expert territory. The afternoon holds strong too, with the swell bumping up to 8ft and an even longer 17-second period, with even more energy (4137). Still clean, still cross-off. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Thursday the 3rd is still good but dropping. Morning sees 6ft south swell at 13 seconds (1077), still clean. Afternoon drops to 5ft (613), still good shape. This is a solid shoulder-high day that most competent surfers will enjoy.

Then we hit a real lull. From Friday the 4th through to Monday the 7th, the swell drops right out. We’re talking waist-high or smaller, with poor conditions on most of those days. A few glimmers of clean but tiny surf, nothing worth paddling out for. That’s a five-day stretch of flat to poor waves.

Tuesday the 8th is a big red flag. The morning shows a massive 12ft south swell (3484), but with a cross-onshore wind. The forecast says it’s actually too big for this break. That’s for the absolute big-wave specialists only, and even then, the wind isn’t your friend. The afternoon is still huge at 8ft but the wind stays messy. This looks more like a kiteboarding day for the brave.

Wednesday the 9th drops to 6ft but the wind is onshore, making it choppy. Not great.

Now, here’s the real hidden gem. Thursday, September 10th. The morning is glassy. Absolutely dead calm. The swell is a solid 8ft from the south at 12 seconds (2551). This is the best of the whole run. Clean, powerful, and the wind is nil. It’s a big day, so it’s for experienced surfers, but the conditions will be perfect. The afternoon gets a bit wind-affected, but that morning session is the one to circle. Crowds are possible here, so get there early.

Friday the 11th through to the end of the 16-day window is pretty much a write-off. The swell is small, the wind is often onshore or strong, and the energy is weak. There’s a tiny window of glassy conditions on Monday the 14th morning, but the swell is only 1ft, so it’s barely a ripple. The last real pulse of size comes on Wednesday the 16th with 7ft, but it’s blowing 28 mph onshore – that’s a total mess.

So, to sum it up: the standout is the Wednesday morning, September 2nd for the raw power, and the absolute winner is the Thursday morning, September 10th for the perfect glassy conditions. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds.

Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
!
5
5
3
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
S
14
2.4
S
14
2.5
S
17
2.3
S
14
1.8
S
13
1.4
S
13
1
S
12
0.8
S
11
0.6
S
10
0.4
S
10
0.2
S
15
0.7
SSW
8
0.5
S
8
0.5
S
10
0.3
S
18
0.3
SSW
17
0.2
S
16
1.8
SSW
6
4.5
SSW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
3953
2073
4137
2155
1077
613
273
146
72
29
17
72
35
49
57
58
21
239
6898
Wind (km/h)
10
NW
10
NNW
5
ENE
15
WNW
10
NNW
10
ENE
15
NW
20
NW
25
NW
15
W
10
W
10
ENE
10
NNW
15
NW
20
N
20
NNW
5
NW
15
SSW
35
SW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
High Tide
9:13AM1.70m
9:40PM1.69m
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
Low Tide
3:05AM0.23m
3:28PM0.25m
3:52AM0.23m
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
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
rain showers
cloud
light rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:30
6:28
6:26
6:26
6:24
6:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:46
5:46
5:47
5:49
5:50
5:51
 mm
3
3
2
Temp °C
9
15
17
13
17
18
15
17
18
15
14
15
12
15
16
16
14
13
11
Feels °C
6
13
15
10
15
15
11
12
13
11
11
12
8
11
12
13
12
10
5
  • 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