Inner Cut Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for The Cut. Gotta be straight with you – this is a bit of a lean run for the next couple of weeks. There’s a long, quiet gap before anything really gets going, so patience is the name of the game.

The first week is a write-off, honestly. From Saturday the 18th of July right through to the morning of Wednesday the 29th, we’re looking at near-zero swell. It’s mostly flat with tiny dribbles of 0.3ft to 2ft from the north-west. The wind’s all over the place, and the combined energy is barely a whisper (values from 0 to 23). Not a single wave worth paddling for. You’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board or just going for a walk.

Then, on Wednesday the 29th of July, there’s a tiny pulse – 3ft from the north-west, but it’s still only giving a combined energy of 79. It’s surfable, but ordinary. Not worth getting excited about. Thursday the 30th is similar, with a bit of glassy 3ft to 3ft from the north-northwest, but the energy is still weak (41 to 83). It’s clean, but the waves are just too small to have any grunt.

Now, here’s the one bright spot. Friday the 31st of July is the standout. Inner Cut (The-Cut-Nelson-Harbour) finally wakes up. By Friday morning, we’ve got a solid 8ft groundswell from the north, with a period of 9 seconds and a combined energy of 828 – that’s moderate wave energy, and it’s building. Friday afternoon gets even better: 8ft from the north, period stretching to 10 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 1516. That’s strong energy. The wind is glassy – dead calm – and the waves will be clean. This is legit, but heads up: at 8ft, this is expert territory. The long period (10 seconds) means it’ll punch through, but at a beach setup like this, it might break a bit straight. Still, for the experienced crew, this is the best on offer. It’s a bit of a crowd pleaser though, so expect some company.

Saturday the 1st of August backs off a notch. Morning sees 5ft from the north, still glassy, with energy at 589. That’s much more manageable for intermediate surfers. The afternoon drops to 4ft, still glassy, but the energy is down to 381. It’s good, clean fun, but not a standout.

Sunday the 2nd of August fades out with a 2ft north swell and offshore wind, but the energy is low (71) and it’s more of a fizzle than a finish.

So, the call is: a long, flat wait until the end of July, then a serious spike on Friday the 31st for the big-wave hunters. The rest is small and forgettable. Water temperature? It’s just your average winter water for this spot, nothing unusual.

Rusty.

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