Surf Forecasts:
Blacks Reef surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 12 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 11s period, SSE swell with 6,879 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 9s. 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 5.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Blacks Reef over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what we've got cookin' over the next couple of weeks.
We're starting off rough. Honestly, the first few days are a write-off. Thursday and Friday the 9th and 10th of July are just nasty – big, lumpy, and blown out with a solid 18 to 22 mph cross-onshore wind. The swell is over 12 ft but it's a total mess. We're talking a combined wave energy of 3878 to 4751, but who cares when it looks like that? Not worth paddling out. Saturday the 11th is still pretty average with strong onshore winds and dropping swell. You'd be wasting your time.
Things finally start to turn around on Sunday the 12th. We get a clean-up. The wind swings offshore from the northwest at just 3 mph, and the swell drops to a clean 3 ft. The period jumps to 15 seconds, so that's proper groundswell energy, meaning long lines and long waits between sets. The wave energy is still moderate at 804, but the conditions will be clean. This might be a good session for the beginners out there, as the size is manageable. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so nothing crazy there.
The real standout, the one you've been waiting for, rolls in a few days later. Mark your calendars for Thursday the 16th of July. We've got two killer sessions. The morning looks glassy, absolutely dead calm, with a long-period 4 ft groundswell from the ESE at 16 seconds (857 energy). Then the afternoon gets even better – glassy, flat calm, with the swell building to 5 ft and a 15-second period, pushing the energy up to 1171. The direction is from the ESE which is not quite the optimum S direction for Blacks Reef, but the conditions will be so pristine that it won't matter much. That is prime, clean, lined-up surf. It's pushing towards the upper end of the size range, so keep that in mind.
After that high point, we hit a bit of a flat run. Friday the 17th gets blown out again by onshore winds. Saturday morning the 18th is no good either, and the afternoon looks way too big at 12 ft for this spot. Then we settle into a long stretch through to the 24th of July where it's just marginal. The winds are mostly cross-off to clean, with swell hanging around the 4 ft to 7 ft range from the ESE. It's surfable but nothing to write home about, with energy mostly in the 300 to 1000 range. Crowds are often an issue here, but with conditions like that, it might not be as busy.
So to wrap it up: suffer through the first few days, get a clean one on Sunday the 12th, but the absolute pick of the litter is Thursday the 16th of July. That's your day. The rest of the second week is just average, workable surf.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 55mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 12°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Fri afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Thu night, light winds from the WSW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | S 10 | S 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 4178 | 5677 | 6879 | 3663 | 2474 | 1332 | 869 | 894 | 526 | 357 | 284 | 184 | 106 | 100 | 48 | 52 | 37 | 38 | 40 | 40 | 111 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 12:26PM1.63m | 00:54AM1.67m | 1:22PM1.70m | 1:49AM1.70m | 2:19PM1.77m | 2:46AM1.73m | 3:16PM1.84m | 3:46AM1.75m | 4:14PM1.90m | 4:46AM1.78m | 5:14PM1.94m | 5:45AM1.79m | 6:14PM1.96m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:42PM0.36m | 7:07AM0.30m | 7:39PM0.34m | 8:00AM0.29m | 8:39PM0.30m | 8:58AM0.26m | 9:39PM0.25m | 10:00AM0.22m | 10:38PM0.19m | 11:01AM0.15m | 11:37PM0.13m | 11:59AM0.08m | 00:36AM0.09m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — |
 | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — |
mm | 7 | 8 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | E 10 | SW 20 | S 17 | S 17 | S 16 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 10 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 12 |
| kJ | 408 | 386 | 97 | 153 | 147 | 79 | 869 | 894 | 526 | 357 | 272 | 182 | 105 | 92 | 45 | 45 | 68 | 20 | 40 | 40 | 111 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | — | — | — | S 17 | SSW 12 | S 20 | S 19 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 5 |
| kJ | 107 | — | — | — | 147 | 109 | 72 | 251 | 334 | 272 | 284 | 184 | 106 | 100 | 48 | 52 | 37 | 38 | 5 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 15 | S 16 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 7 | — | — | ESE 10 | NE 12 | S 14 | E 11 | S 12 | ESE 7 | ENE 6 | ESE 13 | SE 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 121 | 43 | 36 | 33 | 38 | — | — | 52 | 5 | 33 | 2 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 40 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | — | — | — | N 3 | N 3 | NE 2 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 | — | WNW 2 | — | — |
| kJ | 4178 | 5677 | 6879 | 3663 | 2474 | 1332 | 145 | 143 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 49 | 175 | — | 1 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 139 | 139 | 485 | 162 | 157 | 75 | 79 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 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.
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