Surf Forecasts:
The Cutting surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 19s period, SSW swell with 19,700 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Cutting this week:
The surf forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 5.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 5.0m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cutting in the next 16 days are 5.0m 19s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Looks like The Cutting is going to be a bit of a beast over the next couple of weeks. We've got a solid run of SW groundswell coming through, but for the most part, it's going to be way too much for a comfortable paddle session. The water temp is sitting at 58°F which is pretty average for this time of year, nothing wild.
The first few days are a write-off for a fun surf. Thursday the 3rd has a 16ft SW swell with a period of 14 seconds, but it's blowing a fresh 22 mph cross-shore wind. The wave energy is massive (9798) but the conditions are just poor. That afternoon the swell jumps to 18ft with 19 mph cross-winds – it's just a washing machine. Friday the 4th is cleaner with a NNW offshore wind, but we're still looking at a 15ft to 16ft SW groundswell, which is way out of the comfort zone for most.
We don't really get a window for a decent paddle until Saturday the 12th. That's your standout. The swell has dropped to a much more manageable 8ft from the SW, with a 15-second period. The wind is offshore from the N, blowing at 12 to 16 mph, keeping things clean. The wave energy is still solid (3078) but it's within the realm for experienced surfers. It'll be a powerful, lined-up wave at The Cutting, and it could get a bit crowded as the word gets out.
Sunday the 13th is also worth a look if you're an experienced crew. The swell is down to 5ft to 6ft from the SW with a 13 to 14-second period, and a solid offshore breeze from the NNW and N. Wave energy is moderate (1064 to 1851). It'll be clean, but a little smaller.
After that, we get another burst of energy. From Monday the 14th through to Wednesday the 18th of September, we're back into big, messy swell with onshore and cross-shore winds. The swell heights are 10ft to 20ft with strong winds. It's a classic case of "look, don't paddle." The setup at The Cutting is going to be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days.
So, to wrap it up: for the next week and a half, it's all about watching and waiting. The one true standout for a paddle is Saturday the 12th of September, with a solid, clean 8ft SW swell. It's a call for the experienced crew. Sunday the 13th is a smaller, cleaner option for the same crew.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Sat afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Sun morning, min 6°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Mon morning, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 10 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 8 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 9798 | 11780 | 13862 | 11527 | 10494 | 7674 | 8051 | 4680 | 4920 | 4418 | 3038 | 1735 | 1152 | 1569 | 2113 | 2750 | 5539 | 4688 | 6236 | 7602 | 15162 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | on | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:52PM0.71m | 3:50AM0.82m | 1:41PM0.73m | 4:32AM0.75m | 1:26PM0.77m | 5:49AM0.67m | 1:10PM0.82m | 1:00PM0.86m | 12:55PM0.88m | 12:53PM0.88m | 11:50PM0.40m | ||||||||||
Low Tide | 8:38PM0.03m | 9:05AM0.54m | 8:56PM0.01m | 8:53AM0.63m | 9:17PM0.02m | 7:33AM0.67m | 9:41PM0.06m | 10:05PM0.15m | 10:14PM0.26m | 8:56PM0.37m | |||||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | |  |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Feels °C | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | — | — | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 18 |
| kJ | — | 10552 | 13862 | 11527 | 10494 | 7674 | — | — | 4920 | 4418 | 3038 | 1735 | 466 | 1569 | 2113 | 1806 | 5539 | 4688 | 6236 | 7602 | 15162 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 18 | S 24 | SW 22 | SW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | — | SSW 26 | SSW 22 | SSW 20 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | 11 | 118 | 200 | 1365 | 2750 | — | 133 | 2151 | 6897 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 21 | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 286 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | — | — | — | NNW 4 | WSW 15 | WSW 10 | — | — | — | W 5 | SW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 9798 | 11780 | — | — | — | 20 | 8051 | 4680 | — | — | — | 71 | 1152 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 158 | 145 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 120 | 547 | 633 | 76 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 145 | 346 | 17 | 24 | 76 | 108 | 108 | 108 | 98 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Far West of Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 The Cutting 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 The Cutting Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Cutting provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Cutting can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Cutting 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 (The Cutting) 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 The Cutting 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Far West of Victoria? If you are looking for accommodation near The Cutting, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Far West of Victoria, consider staying in Warrnambool which is 4 km (2 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Portland which is 80 km (50 miles) away
Nearest