Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright crew, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a slow start with no real surf to recommend, then a solid window of clean, manageable waves mid-week, before a massive pulse of energy hits that’s going to be way too big and messy. The standout is definitely Wednesday morning, July 29th, when conditions line up beautifully.

The first surf worth paddling out for is on Wednesday, July 29th. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. Blacks Reef will see a 6ft swell from the SE with a solid 13-second period – that’s real groundswell, meaning it’ll have some punch and shape. The wind is light from the NNW, blowing cross-offshore, which is going to keep the surface clean and lined up. The water is sitting at 54°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit. The combined swell energy is moderate at 1043. This is ideal for experienced surfers – not too big, not too small, and the reef setup will handle that long period nicely. Wednesday afternoon holds up too, with 6ft from the SE and a 12-second period, but the wind picks up a little from the NE, still cross-offshore. Still a very good session.

Thursday, July 30th drops off a touch. Morning has 5ft from the ESE at 12 seconds, with a clean cross-offshore NW breeze. It’s a smaller day, but still rideable. The combined energy is 701. Afternoon is similar, 4ft, clean, but nothing to get too excited about.

Friday, July 31st sees the swell drop further, down to 3ft from the ESE. The wind is up a bit from the NW, still cross-offshore, but the energy is waning (277). It’s marginal.

Then the weekend turns ugly. Saturday, August 1st brings a strong SW wind and a jump in swell to 12ft, but it’s messy onshore junk. That’s a no-go. Sunday, August 2nd is even worse – 12ft from the S with strong onshore winds. The combined energy is 2671, but it’s blown out.

Monday, August 3rd is a mixed bag. The morning is still a bit lumpy with 8ft from the S. But the afternoon is a gem: 7ft from the S, 10-second period, and the wind goes completely glassy. That’s a rare treat – clean, smooth, and the reef will handle it. The combined energy is 970. This is your second-best window.

From Tuesday, August 4th onward, things get heavy and tricky. The swell spikes but the wind is all over the shop. Tuesday afternoon sees 8ft from the S with a very long 17-second period – that’s a lot of energy (3649) – but the cross-onshore wind makes it messy. Wednesday through Friday, August 5th to 7th, the swell jumps to 21ft from the SSW with periods around 14 seconds. That’s massive energy (26003) – but it’s way too big for Blacks Reef, and the wind is howling onshore. This is only for the absolute big-wave experts, and even then, the wind is ruining it. It looks more like a kite-surfing scene than a paddle surf.

The following week, from August 8th onwards, is a write-off. Strong onshore winds, big swell, poor conditions. The combined energy stays high, but the quality is zero. Honestly, there’s a gap of several days with no real surf to recommend.

So, to wrap it up: your best bet is Wednesday morning, July 29th at Blacks Reef – clean, 6ft SE groundswell, cross-offshore wind, moderate energy. The Monday afternoon glass-off on August 3rd is a close second. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big to handle.

Catch you in the water.
Rusty.

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