Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, S swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s period, S swell with 3,944 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Blacks Reef in the next 16 days are 2.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, talking about Blacks Reef. Let's break down the next couple of weeks in feet and knots.
Things start off with some clean, small surf on Saturday, August 29th. We've got a 3ft south swell with a solid 12-second period, and a light offshore breeze from the north is keeping it glassy. The water is running about 55°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate at 270.
Sunday and Monday look average as the wind shifts onshore and messes up the conditions. Tuesday, September 1st, sees a bigger, but messy, onshore wind swell.
The real standout is Wednesday, September 2nd. We're looking at a powerful 10ft south groundswell in the morning, settling to 8ft by the afternoon, with a 13-second period. The morning has light offshore wind, but the afternoon goes dead flat calm – glassy perfection. The combined energy is massive, over 2400. This is an expert-only day, as 10ft is way too big for beginners. This is your best session.
Thursday, September 3rd still has clean 7ft surf with offshore wind, but the quality is slightly more marginal. Friday the 4th drops off completely.
Next up, Saturday, September 5th is another good one. A 6ft south swell, with clean, glassy conditions in the afternoon. The combined energy is a strong 712. This is a very good, more manageable size than Wednesday.
Looking into the next week, Monday, September 7th has a promising late session with a 7ft south swell and a light offshore breeze from the northeast, with combined energy of 994. That's a quality call. After that, the wind gets strong and the gaps between good waves get longer.
There's a massive swell forecast for Saturday, September 12th, with a 16ft south swell and an insane combined energy of 5677. But it's just too big for this break, even with good wind. That one is a pass for all but the most extreme.
So, to put it plainly: Lock in Wednesday, September 2nd if you're an expert. Saturday, September 5th is the top call for everyone else. Keep an eye on Monday the 7th as well.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Sat night, fresh winds from the WNW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue morning, calm by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 10 | S 17 | S 12 | S 13 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 216 | 202 | 154 | 76 | 51 | 34 | 443 | 1179 | 1293 | 1584 | 2543 | 2210 | 2444 | 1650 | 3398 | 1608 | 772 | 280 | 151 | 78 | 747 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | on | on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 6:33PM1.57m | 6:58AM1.52m | 7:20PM1.62m | 7:44AM1.59m | 8:05PM1.66m | 8:29AM1.65m | 8:52PM1.69m | 9:13AM1.70m | 9:40PM1.69m | 9:59AM1.73m | 10:30PM1.68m | 10:50AM1.74m | 11:22PM1.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:17PM0.28m | 00:49AM0.26m | 1:02PM0.25m | 1:35AM0.24m | 1:48PM0.24m | 2:20AM0.23m | 2:37PM0.24m | 3:05AM0.23m | 3:28PM0.25m | 3:52AM0.23m | 4:20PM0.25m | 4:42AM0.24m | 5:13PM0.25m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | | |  |  | | | |  | | | |  | | | |
 | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 13 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | NE 7 | ENE 9 | S 17 | S 12 | S 13 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 |
| kJ | 216 | 202 | 154 | 76 | 21 | 50 | 443 | 1179 | 1293 | 20 | 9 | 2210 | 2444 | 1650 | 3398 | 1608 | 772 | 280 | 151 | 78 | 747 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | ESE 13 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | S 10 | SW 4 | ENE 8 | S 16 | ENE 9 | — | S 24 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | S 16 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NNE 4 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 27 | 17 | 29 | 13 | 51 | 10 | 28 | 343 | 15 | — | 11 | 9 | 14 | 741 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 10 | — | NE 9 | SE 11 | — | — | — | — | NE 9 | — | — | — | SSW 5 | SE 12 | E 10 | S 18 |
| kJ | 27 | 20 | 38 | 15 | 32 | 34 | — | 19 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SW 2 | SSW 3 | NW 2 | SSW 8 | — | WNW 4 | SSW 13 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | NW 3 | WNW 4 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | WNW 4 | — |
| kJ | 43 | 39 | 68 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 327 | — | 14 | 1584 | 2543 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 24 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 99 | 82 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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