
Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period, S swell with 4,848 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with SE 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 Thursday (Sep 10) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 3.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Black Reef. We’ve got a bit of a slow burn start to this run, but there’s one window in there that’s got me pretty fired up. Most of the early week is looking pretty average, but keep your eyes peeled for Monday morning.
We kick things off on Thursday the 10th with a bit of a nothing burger. There’s a small 3ft southeast swell, but the energy is weak as, coming in at just 89, and the waves are poor. The afternoon cleans up a little with a glassy surface, but it’s still just “surfable” at best. You’re not missing anything.
Friday the 11th sees a jump in energy as a long-period south swell fills in, with the combined energy reading 437. The swell is small, around 2ft to 2ft, but that period is a lengthy 19 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The morning is shot with rain and a cross-on wind, but by Friday afternoon, it turns glassy. The waves are still small, but that long-period energy from the south on the reef is worth a look if you’ve got a longboard and low expectations.
Saturday the 12th gets interesting, but messy. The morning is blown out with a moderate cross-onshore wind. The model is calling for a solid bump in size for the afternoon, with the swell jumping to 7ft, and the combined energy taking a massive leap to 2542. That’s a strong pulse of energy. But, the wind swings onshore and it’s going to be fairly chopped up. It could be powerful, but it's going to be a battle. Sunday the 13th holds similar size, 8ft in the morning, with that strong energy at 2452, but we’ve got more onshore wind and it looks like a messy, contestable kind of day. This is getting big and rough, not clean.
Right, now for the part we’ve all been waiting for. Things snap into focus on Monday the 14th. The wind swings around to a light northerly, giving us a clean cross-off breeze. The swell is still a solid 7ft, with a period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is 1337. The report says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers," and I’m not gonna argue. This is the standout of the whole run. It’s a proper reef, it’s got size, it’s got energy, and it’s going to be clean. If you’ve got the skills, this is the session. The afternoon eases off a touch to 7ft, but the wind swings more cross-on.
After that peak, it settles down. Tuesday the 15th is smaller, around 4ft to 4ft, with the energy dropping back and one clean glassy window in the morning. Wednesday the 16th sees the swell fade back to under 3ft.
Now we have a proper gap in the action. From Wednesday afternoon through the weekend, it just goes flat and messy, with cross-shore winds and only tiny, weak waves. The 20th and 21st are particularly bleak, with a big jump in energy on the 21st but no clean wind at all.
The 23rd of September shows a few more of those long-period pulses on the charts, with energy around 350 and some clean conditions. The swell is small, less than 3ft, but the period is back up at 19 seconds on the Wednesday morning. It’s a tease, a sign of life, but not the main event.
So, there it is. A couple of average days, a couple of messy, powerful days, and one absolute gem on Monday the 14th. Don’t sleep on that one.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 16 | S 19 | S 18 | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 11 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
128 | 67 | 67 | 80 | 182 | 235 | 222 | 215 | 2542 | 4848 | 2452 | 1497 | 1458 | 1324 | 1148 | 604 | 319 | 234 | 146 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:12AM1.62m | 4:37PM1.75m | 5:08AM1.63m | 5:33PM1.75m | 6:03AM1.67m | 6:25PM1.75m | 6:56AM1.71m | 7:15PM1.74m | 7:45AM1.75m | 8:04PM1.73m | 8:30AM1.77m | 8:52PM1.71m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:02PM0.13m | 10:25AM0.11m | 10:59PM0.13m | 11:19AM0.11m | 11:53PM0.14m | 12:11PM0.13m | 00:45AM0.17m | 1:02PM0.18m | 1:33AM0.22m | 1:52PM0.24m | 2:19AM0.27m | 2:43PM0.29m | |||||||
— | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
Feels °C | 7 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 8 | S 7 | S 17 | ENE 13 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 11 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 |
128 | 67 | 67 | 44 | 53 | 149 | 51 | 215 | 33 | 4848 | 2452 | 1497 | 1458 | 1324 | 1148 | 604 | 319 | 234 | 146 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 16 | S 19 | S 18 | S 18 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | E 12 | E 12 | ENE 4 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 |
34 | 22 | 21 | 80 | 182 | 235 | 222 | 14 | 18 | 30 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 41 | 96 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | SSW 13 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | NE 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | E 9 | ENE 12 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 13 | ENE 3 |
7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 55 | 43 | 18 | 4 | 43 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | NW 3 | — | — | SSW 6 | — | NE 3 | SW 4 | S 16 | — | — | SSW 4 | — | — | NE 3 | NE 3 | — | — | — |
4 | 6 | — | — | 147 | — | 1 | 35 | 2542 | — | — | 28 | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 9 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 188 | 2 | 3 | 162 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 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.










