Black Middens Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a proper look at what's on offer over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it's a pretty bleak picture for this stretch. The only break we've got to work with is Black Middens, and this spot is a tricky, inconsistent reef/river/pier set-up that needs everything to line up. Looking through the whole 16-day window, the wave energy is just too weak and the conditions are never quite right to call anything a proper surf. There's a long, empty gap from now all the way through.

The first couple of days are total write-offs. Friday afternoon the 31st of July has a tiny 1ft swell from the north with a short period of 8 seconds and a cross-on breeze – the combined energy is a measly 12, which is nothing. All the forecasts just say "poor surf conditions." This is going to be the case for days. Even when we get a glassy morning on Sunday the 2nd of August with that same tiny 1ft north swell, the energy is still just 12. It's not enough to push a wave in here.

We finally see a bump in size around Tuesday the 4th of August, with 5ft to 5ft of east-northeast swell rolling in. The combined energy jumps to 301, which at least shows some moderate pulse. However, the period is a short 7 seconds, which is just wind-slop, not proper groundswell. That Tuesday afternoon, with an east-northeast breeze going cross-off, the conditions are labeled "clean" and it's a 1 out of 10, which is the highest score we see. It's the closest thing to a session, but calling it a standout would be a lie. The swell is coming from a direction (ENE) that isn't the optimum (NNE) for this sheltered spot, and with short-period slop, it's not going to wrap in nicely.

After that, it just gets smaller again. We have a few mornings with offshore or glassy winds, like Wednesday the 5th of August with a clean 3ft swell, but the energy is under 100. For a spot that's already inconsistent, these tiny swells just won't do anything.

Even when we get a bigger swell on the 11th of August, with 5ft to 6ft from the north and energy hitting 850, it's blown out with a southerly onshore wind. That's the wrong wind, the wrong direction for the optimum, and the setup would be a complete mess. For a sheltered reef/river break, that's just a no-go. That energy is better suited for kite surfing, not a paddle board.

So the honest truth is there are no good surf options in this entire 16-day window for Black Middens. It's just one of those runs where the cards don't fall. The swell is always the wrong size, wrong period, or coupled with the wrong wind. For a spot this inconsistent, a blank run like this is unfortunately kind of normal. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it can't stay this quiet forever.

Rusty.

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