The Cutting Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cooking for The Cutting over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we've got a big, powerful SW groundswell rolling in on Thursday morning, pumping at a solid 10ft. The period is a meaty 13 seconds, so there's plenty of push behind it, and the combined energy is strong at 3055. But here's the kicker—that's just too much water for this break. It's an exposed spot, but the swell is predicted to be too big, so I'd give it a miss. Thursday afternoon isn't any better, with the wind turning cross-onshore and the size dropping only a touch to 8ft. Not the one.

Now, Friday morning, 31st of July, things start to look a little more interesting. The swell drops to a more manageable 7ft from the SW, and we get a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the NW at just 6 mph. That's a window for the experienced crew. The period holds at 12 seconds, and the energy is still solid at 1350. It's a good, clean option for those who know what they're doing.

But the real standout of this whole forecast? That's Saturday, 1st of August. Clear skies, a light offshore wind from the north at 9 mph, and a solid 8ft SW groundswell with a very long 17-second period. The combined energy is up there at 3269. This is proper groundswell, and at The Cutting, with that long period, it should set up some good lines. The wind is offshore, meaning it'll be glassy and clean. This is the morning to be in the water. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-off breeze, but the swell jumps back up to 10ft, which is again pushing the limits for this spot.

Sunday morning, 2nd of August, has potential for the brave. We've got a fresh 19 mph offshore wind from the north, and a 8ft SW swell at a 16-second period. The energy is high at 3579, but that wind is strong. It'll be clean, but a bit of a battle to get out. Only for the experienced, and even then, it's a handful.

From Monday, 3rd of August, through to Wednesday afternoon, 5th of August, it turns to absolute rubbish. The wind swings onshore, the swell gets messy, and the conditions are just poor. The Monday afternoon session gets a massive 20ft of lumpy, cross-onshore junk with energy over 11000 – leave that to the kites, not the paddle crew. A few days of nothing much here.

We get a brief glimmer on Thursday morning, 6th of August. The wind goes cross-offshore again, and a 8ft SW swell at 16 seconds rolls in with clean conditions. The energy is strong at 2877. A decent option for the experienced, but the afternoon sees the swell jump back to 10ft with a cross-onshore breeze, so keep it to the morning.

Friday, 7th of August, and into the weekend is more of the same story: the swell is just too big for The Cutting. We're seeing 13ft to 15ft swells with insane energy values in the 7000 to 9800 range. It's a no-go for paddle surfing unless you're a absolute nutter, but the wind is light for some of it.

The following week, from the 8th of August onwards, is a mixed bag. The swell drops back into the 7ft to 8ft range, but the wind is generally cross-offshore or offshore, keeping things clean. The issue is the guidance suggests marginal or questionable tide conditions for most of these sessions. There's a solid-looking window on Monday morning, 10th of August, with a 13ft swell from the WSW and a 12 mph offshore wind, but again, that size is just too big for this break. The long-range standouts like Thursday morning, 13th of August, have a 10ft SW swell at 17 seconds with a gentle offshore, but the energy is very high at 5746, pointing to conditions that are cleaner, but still for experts only. The same goes for Friday, 14th of August, with a 13ft swell and energy over 10000.

So, bottom line: The surf window here is very narrow. Your best bet by a long shot is Saturday morning, 1st of August. Get there early for the clean, offshore conditions and that beautiful SW groundswell. Friday morning, 31st of July, is the next best option, but it's a step down. After that, it's a case of watching for a clean window amongst the too-big or too-marginal days. There's a lot of power in the ocean for the next two weeks, but it's not all going to be friendly to the line-up.

Rusty.

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