Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s comin’ through for Kelso (Happy Wanderers). It’s gonna be a bit of a mixed bag over the next sixteen days, so we gotta sift through the junk to find the good ones.

Right now, we’re in a flat spell. No real surf worth paddlin’ out for. The water temp is sittin’ around 71°, which is pretty average for this time of year – nothin’ unusual there. Things start lookin’ a little more promising around Sunday the 23rd of August. We’ve got a 8ft swell from the SSW with a 9 second period, and cross-off winds from the south. That’s clean, but the period is a bit short, so it could be a bit walled and bumpy. Still, it’s the first sign of life. That afternoon, the swell drops to 6ft, but the wind stays cross-off from the south. It’s marginal – nothin’ to get too excited over.

The next real chance pops up on Tuesday the 25th of August. Southerly swell around 4ft with a very long 16 second period. That’s groundswell energy, and combined swell energy is moderate at 606. Cross-shore wind in the morning, goin’ cross-on in the arvo. That long period means it’ll be a bit better shaped but it’ll also come in sets, so you’ll have time to paddle out between them. It’s still marginal though.

Now, here’s the standout: Wednesday the 26th of August. The morning session is your best bet. A clean 5ft swell from the SSW, period a solid 17 seconds, and light cross-off breezes from the SSW. Combined energy is strong at 1244 – that’s serious power. Water’s still that same 71°, nothing weird. This is the window where it’s lookin’ real nice for an intermediate surf. The afternoon sees the swell bump up to 7ft from the south, but the wind shifts to a light cross-on from the east, and conditions get a bit rippled. Still, that morning is gold.

Then it gets ugly again. From Thursday the 27th right through to the end of the month, we’ve got strong onshore and cross-onshore winds from the northeast, with some big swell, but it’s messy. A couple of those days, the swell is over 8ft (like Sunday the 30th of August’s 10ft from the SSW), which is expert-only territory anyway, and the winds are just wreckin’ it.

There’s another small window on Monday the 31st of August. Morning sees 8ft from the SSW with a 10 second period, cross-off southerly winds, and combined energy of 2174 – strong. That’s big and clean, but only for the experienced crew. The afternoon settles down to 5ft, but the quality drops.

After that, it’s pretty much a write-off until Thursday the 3rd of September. A tiny 1.0ft swell with a long 14 second period shows up in the morning, combined energy is weak at 49 – barely a ripple. The afternoon has 4ft from the SSW but with a short 6 second period and cross-off wind. Still poor.

Then from Friday the 4th of September onwards, it’s all tiny, poor quality windswell and strong onshore winds. Not worth wettin’ a suit.

So, the standout day is Wednesday the 26th of August – the morning session at Kelso. Clean, punchy, good energy. The Monday the 31st of August morning is your backup for the big-wave hunters.

Rusty.

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