Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first few days are looking pretty marginal, with small, weak swell and a bit of a cross wind messing things up. Nothing to get excited about until we get to Saturday morning. That’s when the stars line up for a moment.

The standout of the whole run is Saturday morning, July 18th at Kelso (Happy Wanderers). We’re looking at a clean 3ft swell coming from the east, with a period of 10 seconds. The real magic here is the wind – it’s glassy. Absolutely flat calm. That’s a major positive for getting some clean, peelable lines. The wave energy is moderate (491), so it’s got some punch for a small day. The water temp is sitting at 71°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so get out early if you want a quiet session.

Friday afternoon the 17th shapes up as a decent warm-up with a clean 4ft from the east and a light offshore breeze, but the Saturday morning glass-off is the real pick.

We do get a pulse of energy rolling in later. Sunday the 19th sees a jump in size, with a 4ft SSE swell arriving, but a strong cross-onshore wind from the NE will chop it up. That afternoon, it’s 6ft, but the wind is howling, making for poor conditions. This one’s a write-off.

Monday the 20th has some size, but the wind is a problem. The afternoon has a 6ft SSW swell with a decent 13-second period, generating strong wave energy (1878), but the cross-shore wind will make it bumpy. It’s a pass for me.

The second week gets interesting size-wise, but the wind stays stubborn. We see a big SSW groundswell building from Thursday the 23rd onwards. By Friday the 24th, we’re looking at a 7ft SSW swell with a very long 17-second period, and the energy is strong (2601). That’s a serious amount of water. But the wind is cross-onshore from the NE, so it won’t be pretty. That long period will make it a bit fast and straight at the beach, so this is really one for the experts if they want to give it a crack.

The run continues to pump with size. Saturday the 25th afternoon has a 7ft S swell, but the period drops to 6 seconds, so it’s just a windswell mess. Sunday the 26th afternoon sees a 8ft S swell with a 17-second period and massive energy (4993) – that’s a lot of power – but the NE wind is blowing 12 mph right in your face, making it choppy and dangerous. Only for the brave and well-equipped.

The last week of July and into August keeps the trend of solid, long-period SSW groundswells, but the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore from the NE. The morning of July 30th has a 7ft SSW swell with a 17-second period and very strong energy (2767), but the onshore wind kills it. The pattern is consistent: big swell, bad wind.

Overall, the best bet is that Saturday morning glass-off on the 18th. It’s a clean, small wave day. The rest of the period is a tale of great swell energy getting blown out by unfavourable winds. If you’re a kite surfer, the afternoons with the bigger swell and strong side-shore winds might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s mostly a frustrating watch.

Rusty.

Read more