Surf Forecasts:
Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 18s period, SSW swell with 2,317 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 12s period with S 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 Sunday (Jul 19) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Kelso (Happy Wanderers) in the next 16 days are 1.9m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 7s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let's break down the surf for the next few weeks.
We're starting off slow. The first real chance to paddle out is Monday, July 20th. We've got a 7ft SSE swell with a 12-second period, and a light offshore breeze is cleaning it up. The wave energy is moderate at 1247. Kelso (Happy Wanderers) is a point break that's fairly consistent, and with that S direction, it's a good match. Water temp is about what you'd expect for this time of year. Crowds are possible, so plan accordingly.
The real gem, the one that's got me stoked, is looking at Monday, August 3rd. That's a long way out, so keep your fingers crossed, but it's a beauty. We've got a 8ft SSW swell with a very long 17-second period – that's deep ocean energy. The combined energy is a solid 3499, so it's got some real grunt. And the wind? Glassy. Perfect. Because it's a long period swell, it'll work the point break like a dream, but it's over 8ft, so this is expert territory only.
The rest of the period is full of onshore and cross-on winds that'll mess things up. The 23rd has a 7ft SSW swell, but the period is short at 7 seconds and the wind is tricky. The 28th has some 6ft SSW swell, but the wind is too strong. And the 31st of July? A massive 13ft S swell, but it's getting hammered by onshore winds – that's a kite session, not a paddle session.
So, to keep it simple: Monday morning, July 20th is your first clean shot. But the one to save the date for is Monday, August 3rd. That's the standout.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Tue night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 20 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 511 | 495 | 802 | 864 | 1216 | 976 | 736 | 528 | 478 | 376 | 501 | 368 | 189 | 363 | 404 | 187 | 131 | 731 | 2015 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | on | on | off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:45AM1.52m | 7:16PM1.60m | 7:21AM1.40m | 7:54PM1.47m | 8:01AM1.27m | 8:37PM1.34m | 8:51AM1.15m | 9:37PM1.21m | 10:15AM1.05m | 11:15PM1.15m | 12:22PM1.05m | 00:56AM1.18m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:46AM0.28m | 12:52PM0.20m | 1:24AM0.39m | 1:28PM0.33m | 2:04AM0.50m | 2:07PM0.47m | 2:53AM0.61m | 2:58PM0.60m | 4:04AM0.69m | 4:19PM0.70m | 5:56AM0.71m | 6:18PM0.71m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | 5:15 | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 12 | S 7 | S 11 | SSW 17 |
| kJ | 511 | 495 | 802 | 864 | 1216 | 976 | 736 | 528 | 478 | 376 | 501 | 368 | 183 | 71 | 34 | 111 | 131 | 287 | 2015 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SSE 14 | S 11 | S 10 | E 10 | S 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 20 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 121 | 318 | 286 | 164 | 49 | 42 | 71 | 82 | 237 | 353 | 314 | 236 | 167 | 108 | 101 | 77 | 69 | 731 | 40 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | NE 4 | E 9 | NE 5 | E 9 | — | SSW 13 | — | SSW 13 | ENE 7 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 229 | 94 | 98 | 69 | 31 | 51 | 63 | 5 | 15 | 39 | 6 | — | 189 | — | 98 | 30 | 76 | 58 | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 6 | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 8 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | 13 | 4 | 79 | 47 | 114 | 275 | 363 | 404 | 187 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 43 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 14 | 21 | 49 | 14 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 205 | 382 | 0 | 3 | 205 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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