Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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