
Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 17s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 7 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, S swell with 2,507 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 17s 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 Friday (Aug 07) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 1.8m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Blacks Reef in the next 16 days are 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright crew, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The next couple of weeks have some real potential, but there’s also a period where Mother Nature just slams the door shut for a bit. Right now, we’re looking at a solid run of groundswell, so let’s talk about where you need to be.
Blacks Reef (Big Island) is your main focus for this whole stretch. It’s up first, and the Friday morning session is looking prime. We’ve got clean, glassy conditions with a light NW wind, and a solid 4 ft of south swell rolling in with a long 17-second period. The energy reading is at 1784, which is strong, and the water temp is about average for this time of year. This is a set-up that will have some proper lines to it. This spot is a reef break that's very consistent, and while it's rated for beginners, the long-period swell can be a bit much for some. It's worth noting this place gets crowded often, so get out there early.
As the day progresses into Friday afternoon, the swell pushes up to 7 ft, still with a long 15-second period, and the wind goes light cross-off from the east. The energy jumps to 2408. It's still excellent, but the size is starting to push into that territory where you need to know what you're doing.
Saturday morning brings another 7 ft of south swell with a 12-second period and a light cross-off wind. Energy is still strong at 1289. It’s a touch less clean than Friday but still very good. The afternoon eases a little to 6 ft but stays clean. Sunday sees the swell ease back to 4 ft, but the wind turns offshore from the NNE, making for some clean, user-friendly waves. It's still good, but the magic of Friday morning is the standout.
Now, here’s the warning. From Monday, the 10th, things drop off a cliff. The swell fades to under 3 ft, and the energy reading falls to just 182. The wave quality goes poor. This flat spell hangs around for a few days, with Monday the 10th through to Saturday the 15th having very little on offer. The energy readings are mostly in the double digits—that’s weak energy. You’d be wasting your time.
The end of that week, Saturday afternoon the 15th, shows a blip of SW swell, but it’s short-period and junky. That’s not what you want. Then Sunday the 16th it gets blown out by a strong S wind, making it a complete mess. This leads into Monday the 17th, where the surf is big, 12 ft, but it’s accompanied by a strong cross-onshore wind. It will be huge, but it'll be terrible.
The standout period for this entire outlook is actually the following week. On Monday the 18th and Tuesday the 19th, the swell gets seriously big—12 ft to 13 ft—but the wave comments say the swell is predicted to be too big for Blacks Reef. It’s a definite expert-only situation, and even then, it might be a washing machine. This is not the time for a casual paddle.
The real second standout comes on Thursday the 20th. The morning is completely glassy with zero wind, and we have 8 ft of SSE swell at 10 seconds. The energy is back up to 1014. It’s big, powerful, and clean. This is a serious session for experienced surfers only. The glassy conditions will make it absolutely perfect. The following Friday morning the 21st also looks great, with 6 ft of clean, glassy surf.
So, here’s the rundown. The best on offer is going to be Friday morning (the 7th) for the best mix of size, period, and wind, with Thursday the 20th being the long-range promise of another classic day. The long-period swells earlier in the period are best at this reef break, but the beach break mentality might struggle with the sets. If the onshore winds pick up in the middle of the month, the setup at Blacks Reef looks more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day. Keep your eyes on the horizon, and don't get too attached to the surf in the middle of the month.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 4°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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 10 | S 17 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 14 | S 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
849 | 941 | 1860 | 1866 | 1233 | 911 | 555 | 326 | 260 | 353 | 177 | 131 | 101 | 269 | 176 | 118 | 92 | 85 | 64 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | glassy | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:41PM1.67m | 12:04PM1.70m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:54AM0.28m | 6:23PM0.31m | 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 | |||||||
— | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
Feels °C | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
849 | 680 | 1860 | 1866 | 1233 | 911 | 555 | 326 | 260 | 353 | 177 | 131 | 88 | 269 | 133 | 118 | 92 | 85 | 64 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | S 17 | SSE 10 | E 14 | ESE 12 | E 13 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | S 14 | NE 7 | NE 6 | NE 5 | S 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | S 8 | ENE 6 | E 5 | ENE 5 |
245 | 941 | 370 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 44 | 269 | 232 | 21 | 5 | 5 | 78 | 215 | 176 | 48 | 24 | 14 | 11 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 20 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | NE 13 | NE 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | S 16 | S 16 | SSE 12 | NE 6 | S 15 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 11 |
30 | 163 | 178 | 24 | 42 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 101 | 6 | 17 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 21 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | NE 4 | NNW 2 | — | — | SSW 5 | — | NE 3 | NE 5 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 12 | 1 | — | — | 9 | — | 4 | 51 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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.











