Blacks Reef Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.07° S 177.80° E

Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 pm 07 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Blacks Reef sea temperature is
12.3° C
1.6° 

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 7 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s period, S swell with 1,233 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s 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 08) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 12s. 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 2.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 8s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 9AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Sat 8th Aug)6.5ft (2.0m) 12s
Best Surf 9AM (Sat 8th Aug)6.5ft (2.0m) 12s
Most Powerful 9AM (Sat 8th Aug)6.5ft (2.0m) 12s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a look at what we can expect over the coming weeks at Blacks Reef. It’s a real mixed bag of a forecast, so strap in.

We’ve got a decent run of surf kicking off this Saturday the 8th. The swell’s been building, and we’re looking at a solid 7ft southerly groundswell with a 12-second period pushing through. The wave energy is strong (1263), but this isn’t for everyone – 7ft is pushing it for beginners, and that long period means it’ll be stacking up nicely on this reef, but staying a bit straight at beaches. The wind is a light NW cross-off, so it’s going to be clean. This is the best option on offer for now. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Sunday the 9th sees the swell drop, but it’s still fun. Saturday morning’s 4ft southerly with an 11-second period and a clean offshore N wind. Sunday afternoon gets lower to 3ft but that 13-second period keeps the shape good. Still, the better window is Saturday.

We hit a real flat spot from Monday the 10th through most of the following week. The swell drops right off, with weak energy (190 or less) and poor conditions. The winds get messy. There’s a few small windows – like Wednesday the 12th morning with 2ft and a clean offshore – but it’s barely worth paddling out. This gap is about four days of very ordinary surf at this break.

Now, hold on to your board for the second week. Starting Sunday the 16th, it gets properly serious. The swell jumps to 10ft on Sunday, but the wind is howling onshore at 22 mph – it’s a washing machine. Not for surfing. On Monday the 17th, it’s a massive 13ft southerly swell with a 10-second period. The wave energy is extreme (5422). The wind is a cross-on, so it’s a bit messy, but this is for absolute experts only. It’s massive. Tuesday the 18th, you’ve got 12ft and a 15-second period on the morning, which is very long period – better on this reef than a beach. But again, big. Wednesday and Thursday of that week also see oversized swell, hitting 18ft on the morning of the 20th. All of it is for experts only.

The very end of the outlook, on Sunday the 23rd, we get a glimmer of hope. A 6ft southerly swell with a 9-second period, but the best part is the glassy NW wind. That’s clean and a good size for more experienced surfers. It’s a long way off, but a promising finish to the run.

To sum it up: this Saturday is your best and only real standout for the first week. The second week is all about massive, expert-only swell. Don’t be a hero unless you know what you’re doing.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 5°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
0
0
0
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.3
S
13
2
S
12
1.8
S
12
1.5
S
11
1.3
S
11
0.9
S
13
1.2
S
12
0.9
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
10
0.7
SSE
12
1.1
SSE
12
1.1
SSE
11
1
SSE
11
0.7
S
10
1.1
SE
10
0.8
SE
8
0.7
SE
8
0.7
SE
8
0.6
ESE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1866
1233
911
565
388
289
397
184
173
133
322
296
249
104
235
100
72
65
36
Wind (km/h)
5
NNW
5
NW
10
ENE
10
NNW
15
N
15
NNE
15
NNW
20
WNW
5
S
15
WSW
10
W
10
SSE
10
NNE
15
NNE
25
NE
15
NNE
25
NE
20
NE
25
NE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
off
off
off
off
off
off
off
High Tide
00:33AM1.67m
1:01PM1.74m
1:29AM1.67m
2:00PM1.77m
2:29AM1.68m
2:59PM1.81m
3:29AM1.69m
3:57PM1.84m
4:28AM1.70m
4:56PM1.86m
5:26AM1.71m
5:54PM1.87m
Low Tide
6:46AM0.27m
7:22PM0.29m
7:41AM0.25m
8:22PM0.24m
8:41AM0.22m
9:21PM0.19m
9:43AM0.16m
10:20PM0.15m
10:43AM0.10m
11:18PM0.11m
11:39AM0.06m
00:16AM0.09m
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
clear
light rain
light rain
heavy rain
part cloud
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:03
7:03
7:01
7:01
7:00
6:58
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:23
5:24
5:25
5:27
5:28
5:29
 mm
1
1
1
5
11
2
Temp °C
6
11
12
11
15
14
12
15
15
12
11
12
10
14
15
12
14
16
15
Feels °C
3
8
8
8
12
11
10
12
12
9
8
10
7
10
10
8
11
13
12
  • 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