Surf Forecasts:
Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with 1,557 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with E 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. 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 1.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 11s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kelso (Happy Wanderers) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s be real. It’s been a shocking stretch of onshore slop, but there are a couple of windows if you’re patient.
Sunday and Monday are complete losses. The wind is trash, and the surf is a mess. Don't even bother.
Tuesday the 18th is our first glimmer of hope. A clean south cross-offshore breeze and a 4ft easterly swell will give Kelso (Happy Wanderers) some actual form. The energy is moderate, and it'll be a fun, user-friendly wave for the intermediate crew. It'll get chopped up in the afternoon, so get your session in early.
The middle of the week is a frustrating tease. A good SSW groundswell rolls in, but it’s fighting a strong northeasterly onshore wind. It’ll be pumping, but pure chaos. Not worth the paddle.
Then comes Friday the 21st. A monster, long-period SSW groundswell arrives with intense energy. The size is there, but it’s a cross-onshore mess. Unless you’re a masochist, skip it. It’s a big, raw ocean.
The weekend stays solid with SSW swell, but the quality is still poor. Saturday the 22nd has a clean cross-offshore wind in the morning, but the swell is already backing off. It’s more of a survival session than a great one.
The biggest pulse hits on Monday the 24th. We’re talking 10ft+ surf with a very long period, and the energy readings are off the charts. But again, the onshore wind is there to ruin it. This is a serious, expert-only, raw and lumpy situation. Not the kind of day you paddle out for unless you’re chasing a thrill.
The last week of the month is all about the swell fading away. The surf gets smaller and smaller, and the winds stay mostly onshore. It’s looking pretty bleak until the very last day.
August 31st is the standout. The ocean finally settles. We get a light, clean offshore breeze and a small but perfect 3ft SSW groundswell with a long 15-16 second period. It’s small, but the conditions are going to be clean and glassy. After weeks of onshore junk, this is the session to circle on the calendar. It won't be big, but it will be clean, and that's a win.
So, this is not a period for big hero waves. The real prize is that clean, small day at the end of the month. That’s the one that’ll be worth the wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Fri night, min 18°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Wed night, calm by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | NNE 5 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 606 | 546 | 764 | 48 | 10 | 22 | 293 | 198 | 155 | 186 | 232 | 807 | 257 | 222 | 411 | 1551 | 892 | 384 | 725 | 431 | 301 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 6:02PM1.79m | 6:09AM1.60m | 6:30PM1.66m | 6:36AM1.48m | 6:58PM1.51m | 7:04AM1.34m | 7:27PM1.35m | 7:34AM1.19m | 8:02PM1.19m | 8:21AM1.04m | 9:31PM1.04m | 12:09PM0.97m | 00:57AM1.08m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:44AM0.03m | 00:08AM0.18m | 12:13PM0.14m | 00:37AM0.30m | 12:41PM0.28m | 1:06AM0.42m | 1:10PM0.43m | 1:38AM0.56m | 1:43PM0.59m | 2:25AM0.71m | 2:38PM0.75m | 4:50AM0.80m | 6:12PM0.81m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | ENE 10 | SW 11 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 14 | ENE 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 606 | 546 | 764 | 634 | 5 | 489 | 293 | 198 | 155 | 119 | 232 | 149 | 229 | 222 | 101 | 1551 | 892 | 187 | 73 | 42 | 47 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SW 12 | S 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 4 | SSW 14 | E 8 | NE 6 | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 15 | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 13 | — | — | NE 6 |
| kJ | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 15 | 26 | 3 | 186 | 89 | 113 | 47 | 34 | 411 | 20 | 11 | 384 | — | — | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SSE 10 | SW 16 | SW 9 | SW 18 | SSW 10 | SW 16 | S 4 | — | E 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 65 | 1 | — | 105 | 23 | 7 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | ENE 10 | — | SSW 4 | S 4 | — | — | NE 5 | SSW 15 | SSW 7 | S 6 | — | NE 3 | NE 5 | NE 6 | SSW 12 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 |
| kJ | 2 | 51 | 36 | 48 | 616 | — | 17 | 10 | — | — | 51 | 807 | 257 | 139 | — | 8 | 63 | 293 | 725 | 431 | 301 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 49 | 49 | 52 | 49 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 187 | 0 | 49 | 49 | 158 | 279 | 235 | 49 | 638 | 49 | 0 | 205 | 1226 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Kelso (Happy Wanderers) surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest