Black Middens

Tynemouth · North East England · United Kingdom

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Black Middens (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/tynemouth-black-middens.

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Black Middens is a rock reef on the north bank inside the mouth of the River Tyne, between the piers, below Tynemouth Priory. On large northerly swells it gives a long, hollow and powerful left. Because the piers protect it, it can be clean when the open coast is a mess.

Level
Experts only
Break
Reef break, reef
Waves
Lefts
Crowd
Some company
Season
winter
Boards
A shortboard or step-up.

When it works

✓ A big 2.5–4 m north-east swell from low to mid tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Small swells do not reach it at all; do not even check it unless the swell is big.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • rips
  • pollution
  • boats

Best months

November, December, January, February, March

Local tips

Sitting too deep is dangerous: the wave can throw you onto the rocks. Use the rip to paddle round the break rather than through it. Ships and boats use this channel a lot, so keep an eye out.

Getting there

From Front Street in Tynemouth, take the road down past the priory and the boat club to the car park above the river mouth.

Travel notes

How often it works
Rare. It only breaks on large northerly swells, a few times a winter.
Crowd and vibe
Few surfers, all experienced.
Camping and vans
Sandhaven Caravan Site is about 1.5 km away across the river. Nearest campsite about 1.5 km away.
Facilities
Car park above the river mouth; all of Tynemouth nearby.
Water quality
Not designated. Being inside a river mouth with a port, surf guides warn about pollution.

Ideal conditions

Swell
N–ENE best, N–E works
Size
2.5–4 m offshore swell; starts at 1.8 m, holds to 5.5 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore WNW–NE; handles onshore up to 25 km/h
Tide
low, mid best, avoid high
Faces
S (170°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

Nearby spots

All spots in North East England · All spots

Sources