Kelso (Happy Wanderers) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Kelso (Happy Wanderers) has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow burner. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing special before a proper window opens up.

The pattern starts off pretty sad, to be honest. For the first few days, we’re looking at weak, short-period slop, mostly coming from the ESE or E, with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The water temp is sitting at about 71°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing weird there. The combined energy is low, under 300 (262), and the surf is just poor. Not much to get excited about on Wednesday the 5th or Thursday the 6th, though Thursday does have clean conditions from a strong S cross-off wind, but the swell is only 2ft from the SSW. It’s small and clean, but not really worth paddling out for.

Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are more of the same – small, choppy, and messy. The wind is cross-on from the NE or E, and the swell is under 3ft. You’d be fighting a bumpy surface for very little reward. Sunday the 9th is a bit better in the afternoon with a clean 3ft SSW swell and a gentle cross-shore wind, but the combined energy is moderate (516) and the surf is still only marginal. It’s a pass for me.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday the 10th of August, we get a pulse. A solid 15ft S swell rolls in during the morning, dropping to 12ft in the afternoon. The period is 11 seconds, so it’s a decent groundswell, and the wind is cross-off from the S, making for clean conditions. The combined energy is massive – 4212 in the morning. This is big, powerful surf. But let’s be real – at over 8ft, this is strictly for experts only. The beach break setup at Kelso will see this stuff closing out hard, and it might actually be more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle folk. The current is going to be ripping. Tuesday the 11th is still big, with 7ft from the SE in the morning, but the period drops to 8 seconds, making it a bit weaker and more toppy. The energy is still strong (1727), but the wind is light and cross-on, so it’ll be a bit bumpy.

After that, the swell drops off fast. From Wednesday the 12th through to the end of the window, it’s mostly small, messy, and onshore. The wind is howling from the NNE or NE, turning the ocean into a washing machine. Combined energy drops from 1123 down to 36 by the 15th. There are a few clean moments on Sunday the 16th with a light SSW cross-off, but the swell is only 2ft – you’d be scratching for scraps.

Honestly, the standout here is Monday the 10th of August. That’s your best shot at power, but you better be a top-level surfer to handle it. If you’re after clean, fun waves, the whole window is a bit of a bust. The consistent factor is that conditions are pretty poor for paddle surfing for most of the run. It might not stay that way, forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a tough call.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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