Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Break

Lat Long: 30.25° S 30.78° E

Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 10 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Kelso (Happy Wanderers) sea temperature is
21.6° C
0.4° 

Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 11s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, S swell with 1,684 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 11s period with SSW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) this week:

The surf forecast for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 1.7m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Kelso (Happy Wanderers) in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Tue 11th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 11s
Best Surf 8PM (Tue 11th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 11s
Most Powerful 8PM (Mon 10th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s switch it over for the imperial crew.

G’day, this is Rusty.

The outlook for the next 16 days is a bit of a slow burner, with a couple of clear windows if you time it right.

The first real chance to paddle out is Monday the 10th at Kelso (Happy Wanderers). There’s a solid 12ft S swell on the way, with moderate energy (2349). The wind is a cross-off from the SSW at 22 mph, which will keep things fairly clean for a spot that size. The water’s sitting at 71°, which is pretty average for the time of year.

Tuesday the 11th has a 7ft SE swell and cross-off winds, but the period is short at 8 seconds, so the waves will be a bit lumpy and sectiony. Wednesday the 12th is more of the same with cross-shore breezes and 8ft to 8ft ESE swell. Not terrible, but not glassy.

Here’s the real gem. Thursday morning the 13th is your best bet for the first week. The wind goes dead calm and glassy – not a breath of air. There’s a 6ft ESE swell with an 8-second period and moderate energy (619). It’s small enough for easy paddling and the surface will be like a mirror. Get out there early because the wind turns onshore from the east by the afternoon.

From Friday the 14th all the way through to Wednesday the 19th, it’s a write-off. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore from the northeast at 9 to 22 mph, making everything lumpy and choppy. The swell sticks around but conditions are poor. There’s a couple of days of cross-off wind on the 19th, but the swell drops to just 3ft with low energy (128). Not worth the drive. That’s six days straight of dross.

Then we get another standout. Thursday morning the 20th of August the wind drops to glassy again from the SSE at just 3 mph, with a 6ft NE swell. The period is short at 6 seconds and the energy is modest (327), so it might be a bit soft and crumbly, but with those glassy conditions, it’ll be the cleanest surf you’ll see in the whole run.

After that, it’s back to onshore northeasterlies. We get a big spike on Saturday the 22nd with a 10ft SE swell and an 11-second period, pushing energy up to 2101. That’s a heavy, powerful swell – for experts only. The wind is onshore from the NE at 9 mph, so expect a big, bumpy, challenging ocean.

The final note is Tuesday morning the 25th of August. There’s a tiny 2ft SW swell with a super long 16-second period and moderate energy (621). That long period groundswell will wrap nicely into points, but with onshore winds at 22 mph, it’ll be blown apart.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Mon afternoon, calm by Thu morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Mon
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
1
2
3
3
2
3
2
1
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
S
9
3
SSE
9
2.2
SE
8
1.9
SE
8
2.5
ESE
9
2.3
ESE
9
2.4
ESE
9
2
ESE
9
1.7
ESE
8
1.4
ESE
8
0.6
SSW
19
1.3
ESE
10
1.4
ESE
10
1.9
E
11
1.9
E
11
1.8
E
12
2
E
12
1.8
E
11
1.5
E
11
1.4
E
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2279
1210
666
445
1126
917
944
615
379
270
251
342
410
922
906
865
1040
755
524
424
Wind (km/h)
35
SSW
25
SW
25
SW
15
SSW
15
SSE
10
SE
10
SE
5
W
0
W
10
E
10
NW
15
NE
20
NE
10
NNW
15
NE
20
NE
10
N
20
NE
20
NE
15
N
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
glassy
on
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
2:26PM1.45m
2:44AM1.57m
3:11PM1.63m
3:26AM1.69m
3:50PM1.78m
4:03AM1.76m
4:26PM1.87m
4:37AM1.79m
5:00PM1.90m
5:09AM1.76m
5:32PM1.87m
5:40AM1.70m
6:02PM1.79m
Low Tide
8:31PM0.33m
8:56AM0.20m
9:17PM0.19m
9:35AM0.07m
9:57PM0.09m
10:10AM-0.02m
10:33PM0.05m
10:43AM-0.06m
11:06PM0.05m
11:14AM-0.04m
11:38PM0.10m
11:44AM0.03m
00:08AM0.18m
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
mod rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:35
6:33
6:33
6:31
6:31
6:30
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:28
5:29
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:31
 mm
3
1
2
5
9
2
2
2
Temp °C
16
16
15
15
16
17
17
16
16
18
17
18
19
17
19
20
18
20
20
18
Feels °C
9
10
10
11
13
13
15
15
15
16
16
15
15
15
16
17
17
17
17
17
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Kelso (Happy Wanderers):

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Kelso (Happy Wanderers) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Kelso (Happy Wanderers)) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Kelso (Happy Wanderers) is 5 km (3 miles) from Scottburgh. If you plan a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Scottburgh. Scottburgh has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest