Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, got the lowdown on the next few weeks at Kelso (Happy Wanderers). It’s gonna be a bit of a slow burn, but there’s some serious firepower waiting for us if we’re patient.

Right off the bat, the water temp is sitting at a comfortable 73°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year. Nothing weird going on there.

The first week is a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We’re looking at a solid stretch of nothing from Sunday, July 5th, right through to Wednesday, July 8th. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly cross-onshore, and the energy is weak. You’re looking at combined energy readings barely cracking 770, and most of the time it’s way under that. Just not worth paddling out for.

We finally get a sniff of life on Thursday, July 9th. The morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the south, and a 3ft swell from the SSW at 15 seconds. That long period is a good sign. The energy picks up to 335, and it’s described as “expect good surf conditions”. Then the afternoon gets even better. The wind stays clean, the swell jumps to 6ft from the SSW, and the energy rockets up to 1200. Clean, solid, and some real grunt behind it. That Thursday afternoon is easily the first standout of the period.

Now, Friday, July 10th, is a weird one. The size is up to 8ft from the south, and the period is a long 15 seconds. The energy is pumping at 2843. But the wind is a light cross-shore, and the forecast notes it as “marginal”. At 8ft, this is pushing into expert-only territory. For a point break like Kelso, that long-period groundswell with that much size could be a proper clean-up set. It’s a bit of a gamble – the juice is there, but the conditions might be a bit tricky.

The following weekend into early next week is a bit messy again. The wind goes onshore for the 11th and 12th of July, trashing the quality of that 6ft swell. We get a brief reprieve on Monday, July 13th, with a clean morning and a 4ft, 8-second SSE swell. It’s a short period, so not the most powerful, but it’s clean and rideable.

Then we get a heads-up for the real big one. If you’ve got the skills, mark your calendar for Saturday, July 18th, and Sunday, July 19th. The 18th sees a 13ft SSW swell roll in. The wind is clean cross-offshore, but it’s a fresh 19 mph breeze. The energy is massive at 4107. That’s a beast. 13ft is only for the expert crew. Then Sunday the 19th is slightly smaller at 13ft, but from the S with a 13-second period, and the wind finally drops to a light 6 mph cross-shore. The energy is a colossal 5821. This is the real standout. It’s big, powerful, and clean. It’s the kind of day you remember. But because it’s over a week out, we’ll have to watch the forecasts closely – it’s promising but not a lock.

The very end of the forecast window on Monday, July 20th, sees the swell dropping back to 8ft, but the wind is hammering onshore at 19 mph from the NE, making it a choppy mess. That one’s for the kite surfers, not for us.

So, to wrap it up: the best bet is Thursday afternoon, July 9th, for a solid, clean session. The absolute standout for the big-wave hunters is Sunday, July 19th, if the forecast holds. Get out there and get some.

Rusty

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