Surf Forecasts:
Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s period, S swell with 4,425 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. 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 2.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 9s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, and let’s talk about our local patch.
Right off the bat, the next week is a mixed bag, but there are a few windows of clean surf if you can pick your moments. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is pretty much bang on normal for this time of year at Kelso (Happy Wanderers).
We’re looking at a slow start. Monday the 24th has a small 4ft south swell pushing through, but with a NE wind blowing 9 mph straight onshore, it’s a total washout. Tuesday the 25th is similar but with a cross wind and an inconsistent long-period 4ft SSW groundswell that’s got some decent energy behind it (862), but it’s just not clean enough to get excited about.
Now, Wednesday the 26th is where things start to look up. Morning has a clean 4ft SSW swell at 14 seconds with a nice cross-offshore breeze, and the wave energy is solid (983). The afternoon gets even better: a 6ft SSW groundswell, period stretching to 18 seconds, and the energy jumps to 2049, which is moderate to strong. Wind stays light and cross-offshore, meaning clean faces. This is the standout session of the first week – intermediate friendly, but with that long period, expect longer lulls between sets at this point break, which is a good thing. Get on it.
Then we hit a wall. From Thursday the 27th right through to the end of the month, the NE winds crank up hard, 19 to 28 mph, either onshore or messy cross-onshore. The swell drops, and it’s just poor. A couple of days at the start of September see some improvement, but the wind is still too strong or the swell too small to make it worthwhile. There’s a window on Thursday morning, September 3rd, with a clean 6ft south swell (period 12 seconds) and a fresh offshore wind (1085 energy), but with the wind at 19 mph, it’s going to be a challenge, only for the experienced crew.
The real powerhouse shows up a bit further out. Saturday, September 5th, is looking mighty big: a 10ft SSW groundswell, period 15 seconds, but the wind is howling at 28 mph cross-offshore. The energy is massive (4607), but that’s proper big-wave territory. This is for experts only. The setup at Kelso might be more interesting for kite surfing than a standard paddle session if that wind holds.
All in all, Wednesday the 26th afternoon is your clear best bet for a decent, clean surf. After that, it’s a long wait with a lot of wind in between.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Sat afternoon, moderate winds from the NNE by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 10 | SSE 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SE 13 | SSW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 327 | 81 | 227 | 817 | 565 | 1393 | 565 | 2042 | 3894 | 1817 | 1155 | 653 | 437 | 350 | 229 | 276 | 193 | 71 | 40 | 7 | 675 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 2:24PM1.27m | 2:29AM1.37m | 2:52PM1.43m | 2:58AM1.51m | 3:19PM1.58m | 3:25AM1.62m | 3:44PM1.71m | 3:51AM1.71m | 4:10PM1.81m | 4:18AM1.76m | 4:36PM1.87m | 4:45AM1.78m | 5:04PM1.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:12AM0.53m | 8:23PM0.53m | 8:41AM0.38m | 8:53PM0.39m | 9:06AM0.24m | 9:20PM0.26m | 9:31AM0.12m | 9:47PM0.16m | 9:57AM0.03m | 10:15PM0.08m | 10:22AM-0.02m | 10:42PM0.04m | 10:49AM-0.04m | 11:11PM0.04m | |||||||
 | |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — |
 | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 19 |
Feels °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 23 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
| kJ | 327 | 81 | 63 | 817 | 565 | 1393 | 565 | 2042 | 3894 | 1817 | 1155 | 653 | 437 | 350 | 229 | 276 | 193 | 71 | 24 | 1455 | 657 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 17 | SSE 9 | SSW 18 | NE 5 | SSW 18 | ENE 9 | — | — | — | S 16 | — | SSE 16 | S 15 | SSE 15 | — | SW 10 | SSE 11 | SE 13 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 15 | 78 | 227 | 45 | 454 | 4 | 418 | 15 | — | — | — | 84 | — | 51 | 115 | 72 | — | 4 | 40 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SW 15 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | E 9 | NE 5 | SE 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 27 | 58 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 3 | NE 4 | — | — | SW 4 | — | — | ESE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | SSW 5 | SSW 8 |
| kJ | — | 4 | 15 | — | — | 17 | — | — | 46 | 215 | 589 | 1061 | 985 | 1449 | 1168 | 1472 | 2162 | 2111 | 1722 | 88 | 675 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 49 | 49 | 0 | 187 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 811 | 692 | 407 | 505 | 816 | 405 | 505 | 666 | 171 | 636 | 187 | 0 |
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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