Black Middens Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Black Middens. This is a sheltered reef setup, and it’s going to be a real mixed bag over the next couple of weeks.

First up, we’ve got a bit of a pulse arriving on Sunday morning, July 19th. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 60°. The swell is coming in at 7 ft from the NNE, with a period of 9 seconds. That’s a solid, moderate wave energy (1387), and with a clean offshore wind from the north at 16 mph, it’s going to be well-shaped and clean. This is the standout of the whole window. The wave quality is good and the wind is proper offshore, so expect some workable lines. It’s a sheltered spot, so it won’t be as big as the open coast, but that size is pushing into the intermediate zone. Crowds are *sometimes* a thing here, so you might have company.

Sunday afternoon keeps the NNE swell at 7 ft, with a period of 9 seconds, and the wind goes a touch lighter to 12 mph from the NNE, still offshore. It’ll stay clean, but the energy is dropping.

Monday the 20th sees a big drop. Morning has 4 ft from the NNE at 8 seconds, with a cross-offshore breeze from the NE. It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about. Afternoon is even smaller at 3 ft.

From Tuesday the 21st all the way through to the end of the month, we hit a flat spell. The swell drops to under 3 ft, and the wind is all over the place – glassy, cross, cross-on, onshore. There’s no real energy in the water. The biggest day in this stretch is a measly 3 ft on Wednesday the 22nd, but the period is short and the wind is not ideal. This is a real lull, and for a sheltered spot like Black Middens, it’s pretty normal to go quiet for a while.

We get a tiny flicker of life on Sunday, August 2nd. The morning shows 3 ft from the NNE with a 9-second period and a 12 mph offshore wind from the north. The energy is moderate (118). It’s clean, but the size is tiny. Afternoon is the same story. This is a long way out, so treat it as a hopeful sign, not a plan.

The next day, Monday August 3rd, is similar: 2 ft, 9 seconds, and a light offshore from the NNW. Clean, but again, small.

So, the honest truth is this: your best bet is to get in the water on Sunday the 19th. That’s the only real taste of proper surf in the whole 16-day window. After that, it’s a long slog of knee-high or smaller waves. The setup is a reef, so when the swell is this small, it’s not going to offer much. Keep your eye on the forecasts, but for now, it’s a quiet period for Black Middens.

Rusty.

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