Black Middens Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s happening with Black Middens over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this is a tough run. The spot is a sheltered reef/river/pier setup and it’s inconsistent at the best of times, so a blank spell like this isn’t unusual. The whole 16-day window is basically a write-off for paddle surfing. Wave energy is weak, rarely cracking triple digits, and the few little pulses of swell that show up are tiny and messy. There’s no standout day, no real window where it all comes together.

Friday 7 August kicks off with a tiny 3ft swell from the NNE, but the period is a short 8 seconds so it’s weak and gutless. Winds are cross from the WSW at 9 mph, putting a slight chop on it. Combined energy is only 132 – that’s low. It’s poor surf. Things drop off fast, with Saturday 8 August seeing the swell shrink to 1ft and the energy down to 24. Sunday is even worse, with 0.3ft waves and a combined energy of 3. Honestly, it’s flat.

There’s a little flicker on Monday 10 August morning – a tiny 0.7ft swell from the NNW with a short 4-second period, but the wind is light and cross-offshore from the NW at 6 mph, so it’s clean. That’s about the only positive thing I can say. The afternoon sees a 0.3ft swell with a very long 12-second period, but it’s so small it doesn’t matter.

Through the middle of the month, the swell stays small, generally under 2ft, and the wind is often onshore or cross, making it choppy. On Wednesday 12 August afternoon, the swell bumps up to 4ft from the ESE, but the period is only 6 seconds and the wind is a cross-on 16 mph from the SE. Combined energy hits 133, but it’s a messy, blown-out 4ft. That’s not surfable for a beginner or even most intermediates. For a reef setup, that’s more of a kite-surfing kind of day.

We get a couple of clean windows. Thursday 13 August has a clean 3ft from the ESE, period 6 seconds, with light cross-offshore winds. But the energy is only 50, and that short period means it’s just a weak, lumpy little wave. Saturday 15 August morning is glassy with a 1ft NNE swell, 12-second period, but the energy is just 41. It’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

The last week is more of the same. Monday 17 August morning has a 2ft ENE swell, period 7 seconds, with offshore winds from the NNE at 6 mph. Clean, but small and weak. Combined energy is 62. The rest of the days are flat, with the 22 August morning showing 1ft and glassy conditions, but the energy is 19 – barely a ripple.

Bottom line: if you want to paddle, you’re out of luck. The few clean moments have no push, and the one day with a bit of size is blown out. This is a spot that rarely fires, and it’s not firing now. Keep the board in the bag, or if you’re into kiting, keep an eye on that 12 August afternoon.

Rusty.

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