Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s break down what’s going on at Kelso.

We’ve got a slow start. The first few days are flat and blown out, nothing worth suiting up for. The first real chance to get wet is on Thursday, September 17th, but even then it takes a while to come together. Overall, the pattern is all over the place: some pulses of east and southeast swell, but the wind keeps getting in the way, or the conditions are just too rough. A few windows do open up though.

Thursday morning, September 17th, the swell shows up at about 5ft from the east, combined energy at 1202, but there’s light rain and a light cross-shore breeze. It’s marginal, not quite there yet. Then Thursday afternoon things get good. The swell drops a little to 5ft from the east, combined energy at 911, but the wind swings light offshore from the west, cleaning it right up. That’s a solid session for Kelso (Happy Wanderers), a point break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the south. Water temp is 70°F, which is about average for this time of year. Expect clean, lined-up waves with a decent push.

Friday the 18th gets much bigger: 12ft swell from the southeast, combined energy over 2000, but heavy rain and strong winds make it a total mess. That’s expert-only and honestly looks more like a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.

Saturday and Sunday the 19th and 20th are a write-off: leftover big swell with strong onshore northeast winds, choppy and blown out. Stay on the beach.

Monday morning, September 21st, we get a fresh offshore from the west, 10ft swell from the southwest, but a short period of 7 seconds. It’ll be a bit lumpy, but the wind is clean, so experienced surfers might find some fun ones. That afternoon, the swell jumps to 16ft from the south-southwest, combined energy at 5550, but the wind is a near gale cross-offshore. Way too big and wild.

The next real standout is Thursday afternoon, September 24th. After a rough week, the wind goes glassy – a slight air from the east – and we’ve got 3ft swell from the south, 11-second period, combined energy of 686. The forecast calls for very good surf conditions. That’s the pick of the second week: clean, glassy, and fun for intermediates. The south swell lines up perfectly with what this break likes.

Friday the 25th through the end of the outlook, the swell drops to knee-high or smaller, and the wind is back onshore or cross-shore, so it’s back to waiting.

The two best windows are Thursday afternoon, September 17th and Thursday afternoon, September 24th. The 17th has more size and a clean offshore breeze, the 24th is glassy and sweet. Those are your calls. The rest is a gamble of too big, too windy, or too small.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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