Surf Forecasts:
The Cutting surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 6,791 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period with W 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 (Aug 20) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.8m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 1.2m and 13s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cutting in the next 16 days are 3.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 8s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk The Cutting in feet and degrees.
First few days, the swell’s there but conditions are rough. Tuesday the 18th starts with head-high 6 to 6 ft SW groundswell, period 14-16 seconds, moderate wave energy. A fresh cross-offshore breeze keeps things clean. Water temp is 57°, about average. Not a classic, but surfable.
Wednesday the 19th drops to 4 ft SW swell, moderate energy, 15-second period. Morning offshore wind keeps it clean, but the size is weak. Thursday the 20th picks up to 5 to 7 ft WSW swell, 12-13 second period, moderate energy. Cross-offshore wind, but the afternoon gets a bit messed up.
Friday the 21st morning is where it gets serious: 8 ft WSW swell, 15-second period, strong energy. Wind’s cross-offshore and clean. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s getting big – only for experienced surfers. The afternoon hits 10 ft with even more energy. That’s the best session for the competent crew.
Saturday the 22nd keeps the size: 12 ft SW swell, 15-second period, very strong energy. Wind goes cross-shore, a bit of chop, but still massive. Experts only.
Sunday the 23rd eases to 10 ft SW, clean in the morning with cross-offshore wind. Very strong energy. Afternoon drops to 8 ft with light cross-shore.
Monday the 24th offers 8 to 10 ft swell, clean cross-offshore, strong energy. Still big.
Tuesday the 25th is a washout with strong onshore wind. Wednesday the 26th is a glassy morning with small 5 to 5 ft SSW swell – rare clean conditions, but small.
Then from Thursday the 27th, watch out: we get a pulse of 12 to 13 ft WSW swell with very strong energy and clean winds. That’s all-time big, only for the hardcore. This carries into early September. Standouts: Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August, then Thursday 27th and Friday 28th August for the biggest clean swell.
Beginners, give it a miss. The best action is for the experienced and expert surfers.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Wed morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1147 | 1634 | 894 | 631 | 631 | 514 | 520 | 1332 | 1109 | 3195 | 3083 | 6227 | 6533 | 6287 | 5659 | 3454 | 2121 | 3059 | 2293 | 2795 | 2658 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:19PM0.79m | 3:29AM0.79m | 2:26PM0.77m | 4:06AM0.76m | 2:29PM0.75m | 4:46AM0.71m | 2:22PM0.74m | 5:45AM0.64m | 1:57PM0.74m | 1:16PM0.77m | 12:51PM0.82m | ||||||||||
Low Tide | 8:51PM0.08m | 9:00AM0.40m | 9:12PM0.06m | 9:18AM0.48m | 9:33PM0.07m | 9:23AM0.55m | 9:53PM0.11m | 8:47AM0.61m | 10:11PM0.16m | 10:26PM0.21m | 10:23PM0.27m | ||||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — |
mm | — | — | 5 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | W 9 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 1147 | 1634 | 894 | 631 | 631 | 514 | 431 | 1332 | 828 | 3195 | 2582 | 6227 | 6533 | 6287 | 5659 | 3454 | 2121 | 3059 | 2293 | 2094 | 2658 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 16 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | W 7 | SW 19 | WSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 20 | SW 18 | — | SSW 24 | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | — | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 781 | 667 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 287 | 520 | 322 | 1109 | 241 | 1201 | — | 54 | 305 | 790 | 1263 | 1486 | — | 71 | 136 | 199 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | ESE 6 | — | — | — | — | SW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | 20 | — | — | — | — | 493 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 3 | N 3 | NNE 3 | N 4 | NW 4 | W 9 | — | — | W 11 | — | WSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | WSW 13 | — |
| kJ | 3 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 373 | — | — | 1084 | — | 3083 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 2795 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 17 | 35 | 52 | 302 | 80 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 76 | 108 | 24 | 80 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 121 |
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