
Surf Forecasts:
The Cutting surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 19s period, SSW swell with 24,049 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 15s period. 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 6.0m 19s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 20ft (6.0m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it.
The window starts with a serious amount of ocean energy, but it’s a bit of a tricky start. We’ve got a massive pulse of SW groundswell hitting The Cutting on Saturday the 5th, with wave heights already at 12ft and rising to 15ft by the afternoon. The energy readings are huge – 5757 and 8885 respectively – so there’s plenty of power, but it’s just too much for this spot. The wind is howling out of the NW at 25 mph, which is cross-offshore and would normally be great, but when you’ve got that much water moving, it’s going to be a washing machine. This continues into Sunday the 6th, with the swell still towering at 12ft and 10ft, but the wind swings around to a cross-shore WSW, which is going to put a bit of chop on it. It’s still oversize. We don’t see it drop below that 7ft mark until Tuesday morning the 8th.
That Tuesday morning, the 8th, is where things start to get interesting. The swell eases to 7ft, but the period jumps to 18 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. There’s a light offshore wind from the WNW at 6 mph, and the energy is a strong 3893. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a normal 3/2mm wetsuit will do. This is the standout of the first week. It’s going to be clean, powerful, and with the long period, those sets are going to have some serious push. Get on it early, because the afternoon sees the swell bump back up to 10ft and go cross-shore, which is just too much again.
The narrative for the next several days is pretty straightforward: too big. Wednesday the 9th shows a massive jump to 16ft and 20ft with a horrendous onshore wind, and the energy readings go through the roof – 17363 and 22129. It’s a beast, but it’s not for surfing. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are just variable shades of oversized, with heights staying between 13ft and 18ft. The wind is all over the place, but the predominant direction is onshore or cross-onshore, ruining any chance of it being rideable. You’d be crazy to paddle out in that. Honestly, it looks like it’s going to be a better window for kite surfing than paddle surfing at this break, with those strong winds and big, lumpy swells.
It’s not until Monday the 14th that The Cutting becomes a viable option again. The swell finally drops to 5ft in the morning and 4ft in the afternoon, with the period settling back to around 11-12 seconds. The wind swings offshore, out of the NNE, and it’s clean. The energy is more moderate, but it’s a proper, user-friendly size. This is the other good window, though the energy values are a bit lower than Tuesday the 8th.
After that, we hit a flat spell. Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th are poor – small, weak, and with a crappy cross-onshore wind. There’s nothing worth getting out of bed for.
The run home is promising. Thursday the 17th sees the swell pick back up to around 6ft to 7ft, with a nice light offshore or cross-offshore wind, and clean conditions. Friday the 18th morning is also a cracker – 8ft of SW swell with a 15-second period and a moderate offshore wind. It’s a bit more size, but it’s still in the experienced surfer range. The energy is solid at 3237. However, the afternoon gets blown out by a cross-shore W wind and rain, so get your surfs in early. Saturday the 19th looks good again, with clean offshore winds and sets around 6ft to 7ft.
Looking way out, the morning of Sunday the 20th has a super-long period of 21 seconds, but the swell has dropped to 6ft. It’s a tease – very long-period swells can break too straight at beach breaks, but The Cutting is a bit more of a defined break, so it might just work. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s a possibility, but at that range, I’d call it promising but not a guarantee.
So, the two true standouts are Tuesday morning, the 8th, for the power and the 18-second period, and Monday, the 14th, for the clean, manageable size. If you can only surf once, make it the 8th. The rest of the first week is either too big or blown out, and there’s a few small, grovelly days mid-week.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri night, min 10°C on Mon afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Sat morning, light winds from the SSE by Mon afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue afternoon, min 6°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Mon night, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
8064 | 5757 | 8885 | 6337 | 4764 | 3153 | 1794 | 1341 | 1352 | 1535 | 2402 | 5080 | 6706 | 12685 | 22129 | 22272 | 16049 | 11980 | 8156 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 4:32AM0.75m | 1:26PM0.77m | 5:49AM0.67m | 1:10PM0.82m | 1:00PM0.86m | 12:55PM0.88m | 12:53PM0.88m | 11:50PM0.40m | 12:54PM0.86m | 00:05AM0.53m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 8:53AM0.63m | 9:17PM0.02m | 7:33AM0.67m | 9:41PM0.06m | 10:05PM0.15m | 10:14PM0.26m | 8:56PM0.37m | 5:13AM0.24m | 7:39PM0.40m | ||||||||||
— | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | |
mm | 6 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | — | — | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
8064 | 5757 | — | — | 4764 | 3153 | 1794 | 1341 | 1352 | 1358 | 1491 | 5080 | 6706 | 12685 | 22129 | 22272 | 16049 | 11980 | 8156 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 24 | SW 22 | SSW 21 | SW 19 | SW 18 | — | SSW 26 | SSW 21 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 207 | 71 | 11 | 118 | 283 | 1535 | 2402 | — | 66 | 4678 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 15 | — | SW 23 | — | SW 20 | SW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 155 | — | 21 | — | 338 | 350 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 15 | SW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 8885 | 6337 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 120 | 452 | 627 | 369 | 24 | 76 | 76 | 477 | 108 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 158 | 771 | 1641 | 128 | 158 | 76 | 76 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Far West of Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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










