Blacks Reef Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.07° S 177.80° E

Blacks Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 15 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Blacks Reef sea temperature is
12.5°C
1.3° 

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 15 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 21 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, S swell with 2,521 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s 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 Tuesday (Sep 15) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 15s. 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 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 6AM. 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 12AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Tue 15th Sep)3.5ft (1.1m) 9s
Best Surf 3AM (Mon 21st Sep)11ft (3.5m) 10s
Most Powerful 6AM (Mon 21st Sep)10ft (3.0m) 12s

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


The Lowdown

Morning crew, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are a mixed bag, and you’re going to need patience. The water’s sitting at 55°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year—so grab the hood if you’re sensitive.

Blacks Reef is the only spot on the menu, and right now it’s not doing much. Tuesday morning starts off clean, glassy, with a little 5ft south swell, period around 11 seconds. It’s got that long-period push, but nothing crazy—moderate energy (481). If you’re a beginner, that’s actually fine, but the crowd could be a factor since it’s often busy. The afternoon dies off a bit with a cross-off breeze.

Wednesday and Thursday are pretty ordinary—small, waist-to-chest high at best, clean but weak. The energy drops right down. You’re really just getting grovelly waves.

Then we hit a rough patch. Friday through the next week, it’s messy: cross-on winds, lumpy conditions, and the swell drops to knee-high. Not worth paddling out unless you’re desperate for a saltwater fix.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday the 21st is the one to circle. Overnight, a proper south groundswell rolls in—10ft at 12 seconds, with strong energy (2329). Tuesday morning is glassy, offshore, and it’s a solid, powerful reef wave. That’s expert territory—over 8ft, so leave the foamy at home. This is the best stretch on offer, but it’s still a week out, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed. The afternoon cleans up with a cross-off, still solid at 7ft.

The following few days are junk—big onshore winds, rain, and dropping swell. A couple of small windows around the 28th might give you clean, tiny waves, but nothing to write home about. The long-period south swell on the 29th is there, but it’s small and inconsistent, prone to closing out at this break.

There’s a stretch from about the 22nd to the 27th where it’s basically flat and blown out. If you’re not surfing, you’re not missing much. But that Monday 21st window? That’s the one.

Stay patient, check the tides, and I’ll see you out there.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 8°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
Sunday
20
Monday
21
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
1
4
3
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.4
S
11
1.3
S
10
1.1
S
9
0.9
SSE
9
0.9
SE
9
0.9
SE
12
0.8
SE
10
0.8
SE
9
0.6
SE
14
0.9
SE
12
0.9
SE
12
0.8
SE
12
0.7
SE
12
0.8
SE
11
0.9
SSW
14
0.8
SE
11
3
S
8
2.5
S
9
3
S
12
2.2
S
11
1.5
S
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
434
332
207
140
112
224
138
122
127
248
228
197
130
147
289
137
1204
1088
2277
1137
426
Wind (km/h)
5
NNE
20
ENE
10
NNW
5
WNW
10
E
15
WNW
15
NNW
20
N
15
SW
20
WSW
15
S
15
WNW
15
W
5
W
20
W
20
WSW
25
S
15
WSW
5
NW
20
NE
10
NW
Wind State
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
on
cross
cross-on
glassy
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
8:52PM1.71m
9:14AM1.76m
9:39PM1.68m
9:58AM1.72m
10:25PM1.64m
10:45AM1.66m
11:11PM1.59m
11:34AM1.60m
11:55PM1.52m
12:25PM1.54m
00:41AM1.44m
1:14PM1.49m
1:29AM1.38m
Low Tide
2:43PM0.29m
3:05AM0.33m
3:31PM0.34m
3:51AM0.39m
4:19PM0.39m
4:38AM0.42m
5:05PM0.42m
5:24AM0.45m
5:53PM0.44m
6:09AM0.46m
6:41PM0.45m
6:53AM0.45m
7:29PM0.44m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
light rain
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:09
6:07
6:07
6:05
6:03
6:01
6:00
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:58
5:59
6:00
6:00
6:01
6:02
6:02
 mm
3
1
Temp °C
15
15
12
16
16
12
17
16
13
11
11
11
14
15
15
15
12
10
15
16
13
Feels °C
12
11
9
14
13
10
13
12
11
5
6
7
11
13
12
10
7
6
12
12
10
  • 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