Surf Forecasts:
Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 13s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with 3,330 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period. 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 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) over the next 16 days.
G'day, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming our way for Kelso.
We've got a bit of a slow start, but things are gonna build into a solid run of waves, especially for the more experienced crew. The first real chance to get wet kicks off Thursday morning the 9th of July. It's not massive, but there's a clean, 3 ft SSW groundswell rolling in with a long 15 second period, and cross-off winds will have it looking tidy. The energy's moderate (607), so it's a good one to ease into.
Friday the 10th of July is the standout. Friday morning sees a solid 10 ft SSW swell with that same long 15 second period, and light cross-off breezes from the south at just 10 km/h. That's gonna be clean, powerful, and set up perfectly for the point at Kelso (Happy Wanderers). The combined energy is a beast at 3337, so this is one for experienced surfers only – beginners, give this one a miss. It'll hold into the afternoon, dropping to 8 ft but still clean, just with a bit more wind.
The weekend drops off a touch, but Sunday the 12th of July has a nice little window. Sunday morning brings 5 ft SSW groundswell with clean cross-off wind, and then Sunday afternoon the wind goes glassy – dead flat water. That's a rare treat, just a smaller 4 ft swell to finish the day. The water temp is a pretty standard 72°, so nothing unusual there for this time of year.
After that, there's a real dry spell from Monday the 13th of July right through to the 21st. The swell gets small and the wind turns onshore or just plain messy. You're looking at nearly a week of nothing worthwhile, with weak energy and poor conditions. It’s frustrating, but that’s how it can go.
The light at the end of the tunnel is Wednesday the 22nd of July. We've got a new SSW groundswell building to 6 ft with a very long 16 second period by the afternoon – that's proper groundswell with heaps of energy (2157). The wind is gentle and cross-shore, so it won't be perfect, but it's a big step up from the flat spell. It's a peek into what might be a better run, but it's still a bit far out to call it a lock.
So, if you're keen, Friday the 10th of July morning is the one to circle. Get on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the NE by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 14 | S 13 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 100 | 136 | 305 | 1339 | 1325 | 3330 | 2740 | 1831 | 1279 | 1109 | 860 | 589 | 494 | 270 | 194 | 176 | 256 | 253 | 270 | 422 | 476 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on |
High Tide | 9:45PM1.40m | 10:19AM1.18m | 11:09PM1.37m | 11:56AM1.20m | 00:35AM1.42m | 1:18PM1.29m | 1:46AM1.51m | 2:21PM1.43m | 2:42AM1.61m | 3:12PM1.57m | 3:31AM1.69m | 3:59PM1.69m | 4:14AM1.74m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:07PM0.47m | 4:14AM0.55m | 4:25PM0.52m | 5:43AM0.53m | 5:57PM0.51m | 7:04AM0.45m | 7:18PM0.43m | 8:08AM0.33m | 8:23PM0.31m | 8:59AM0.21m | 9:16PM0.20m | 9:44AM0.10m | 10:04PM0.13m | 10:25AM0.03m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 |
 | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | 5:13 |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 |
Feels °C | 20 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | ENE 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | E 6 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 100 | 52 | 305 | 1339 | 1325 | 3330 | 2740 | 1831 | 1279 | 1109 | 860 | 589 | 494 | 153 | 158 | 121 | 256 | 253 | 270 | 422 | 476 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 6 | E 6 | E 9 | S 12 | S 14 | S 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 22 | 136 | 59 | 35 | 43 | 31 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 40 | 66 | 13 | 270 | 194 | 176 | 163 | 112 | 104 | 73 | 48 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SE 13 | — | — | — | ENE 8 | — | S 13 | S 14 | S 11 | S 11 | S 12 | SE 8 | — | — | SW 16 |
| kJ | 17 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | — | — | — | 20 | — | 3 | 65 | 2 | 2 | 113 | 2 | — | — | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 9 | — | — | — | S 4 | — | — | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | — | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | NNE 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 46 | 48 | 294 | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | 104 | 64 | — | 188 | 268 | 19 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 53 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 382 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 49 | 373 | 52 | 203 | 87 | 0 | 49 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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