The Cutting Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.41° S 142.52° E

The Cutting Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 am 24 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cutting sea temperature is
14.4° C
0.4° 

The Cutting surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Cutting surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 15s period, SW swell with 12,924 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 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 Friday (Jul 24) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 5.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 4.5m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The Cutting in the next 16 days are 5.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7PM (Fri 24th Jul)16ft (5.0m) 14s
Best Surf 7PM (Fri 24th Jul)16ft (5.0m) 14s
Most Powerful 4AM (Wed 29th Jul)18ft (5.5m) 15s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for The Cutting over the next couple of weeks.

First off, don’t even think about paddling out until at least Sunday the 26th. We’ve got a massive pulse of south-southwest swell rolling in right now, hitting 16 ft with a 15-second period, and the combined wave energy is a serious 12312 (strong) – that’s a whole lot of ocean moving around. The wind is howling cross-shore at 19 mph, so it’s lumpy and way too big for any sane paddle session. This chunk of swell stays way over 8 ft right through Saturday, so unless you’re a tow-in merchant, give it a miss. The water temp is sitting at 58°F, which is about average for this time of year.

Sunday the 26th morning offers a slight chance. The swell has dropped to 8 ft from the SW, period 11 seconds, and the wind has backed off to 12 mph from the WNW, blowing cross-offshore. That’s out of the “too big” danger zone but still solid. The combined energy is 1638 (moderate). It’s clean, but the set waves will be powerful, and the tide could be a bit of a pain. It’s a marginal call.

Monday the 27th is where it gets interesting. The swell is still a solid 8 ft from the SW, but the wind has gone offshore from the NNW at 12–16 mph. This is clean, groomed, and the period clocks in at 13 seconds – proper groundswell. The combined energy is 1387 to 1677 (moderate). This is for experienced surfers only at that size, but the conditions are excellent. This is a standout window.

Tuesday the 28th morning sees the swell jumping back up to 13 ft from the west, with a 12-second period and a fresh cross-offshore breeze. The energy is 8870 (strong). It’s clean, but that’s expert territory again – it’s going to be a beast.

Wednesday the 29th through Friday the 31st of July is a mixed bag of big, messy cross-onshore winds and lumpy seas, or clean, lighter winds with swell still in the 7 ft to 8 ft range. The standout in this stretch is Friday the 31st: morning and afternoon both have clean cross-offshore winds from the NW at only 6 mph, with 7 ft to 7 ft SSW swell at 12–13 seconds. The energy is moderate (1900–2052). Light winds and lined-up swell – that’s a proper session for a confident surfer.

Into August, the first weekend looks promising. Saturday the 1st has a 6 ft SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period, gentle offshore wind from the north, and clean conditions. The energy is 2330 (moderate). That long period will wrap nicely into The Cutting, but it might break a bit straight out the back, so work the tide. Sunday the 2nd is bigger again at 10 ft from the SW with a 16-second period and a fresh offshore north wind – clean but for experts only.

The rest of the first week of August is dominated by more sizeable SW and SSW pulses, all over 10 ft, with clean windows on the 4th and 5th but still in that “too big for most” zone. The combined energy readings are consistently in the 3000–6000 range (strong to very strong).

Finally, the second week eases off. Saturday the 8th of August has the smallest swell of the whole outlook: 5 ft to 6 ft from the SW at 12–13 seconds, with a fresh offshore north-northwest wind at 19 mph. The combined energy is 1192 to 1371 (moderate). It’s clean and clean-faced, but the swell is small and the period is shortish. It’ll be a fun, punchy wave for a longer board, but nothing to get too excited about.

Best on offer: Monday the 27th of July and Friday the 31st of July. Both offer clean conditions with solid, manageable groundswell. If you can handle the size, Monday is the bigger, more powerful option. For cleaner, lighter lines, Friday is your day.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Fri afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Sun afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Tue afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Wed night).

Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
!
!
!
!
!
!
3
2
3
4
4
2
!
0
!
!
0
!
4
2
4
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
5
SSW
15
5
SW
14
4.5
SW
13
4
SW
13
3.5
SW
12
3
SW
12
2.5
SW
11
2.4
SW
11
2.4
SW
11
2.3
SW
11
2.3
SW
13
2.5
SW
12
4
WSW
12
5
WSW
12
5.5
SW
14
4.5
SW
15
4
SW
14
3
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
2.3
SW
12
2.2
SW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
12312
10124
6399
4668
3330
2483
1510
1322
1371
1242
1671
2138
4688
6155
12376
9773
6564
3160
2121
1550
1486
Wind (km/h)
30
W
35
W
30
W
30
WSW
25
W
20
W
20
WNW
20
W
15
NNW
20
NNW
25
NNW
40
NNW
35
WNW
45
W
20
SW
15
WSW
20
SW
15
SW
10
WNW
15
WSW
15
NW
Wind State
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-off
High Tide
2:20PM0.72m
1:03PM0.76m
12:45PM0.82m
12:55PM0.88m
1:12PM0.92m
1:30PM0.95m
00:00AM0.43m
1:48PM0.97m
00:41AM0.49m
Low Tide
11:26PM0.17m
00:07AM0.21m
1:58AM0.23m
4:17AM0.21m
5:21AM0.17m
9:02PM0.39m
6:05AM0.13m
8:47PM0.38m
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:37
7:37
7:37
7:35
7:35
7:33
7:33
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:34
5:35
5:35
5:36
5:37
5:37
5:38
 mm
5
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
Temp °C
12
12
13
13
13
12
14
14
12
14
15
13
12
11
11
11
11
11
10
11
11
Feels °C
4
4
8
7
7
8
10
10
9
9
10
6
5
2
4
6
5
6
6
7
7
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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

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