
Surf Forecasts:
The Cutting surf forecast from 27 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 23ft (7.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 23,247 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 28 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 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 Tuesday (Jul 28) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 2.5m and 10s. 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 7.0m 16s 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 1.4m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 02) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 23ft (7.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what The Cutting is serving up for the next couple of weeks. It’s a big-swell cycle, so timing is everything.
Kicking things off Monday afternoon, July 27th, we have a solid 8ft swell out of the SW, with a 13-second period. The wind is offshore from the NNW, so it’ll be clean and lined up. The water temp is 58°, which is normal for this time of year. This is a good warm-up for the experienced crew.
Tuesday morning, July 28th, is a tough one. A strong 25 mph cross-off wind is going to mess with the 7ft swell. It’s going to be choppy.
Now, look out for Wednesday, July 29th. We’re looking at a 20ft monster from the SW with a 16-second period. The combined energy of all swells is an enormous 16669. That’s a lot of power. But it’s way too big for The Cutting, and a fresh onshore wind will turn it into a washing machine. This is a no-go for paddling.
Thursday the 30th is still oversized at 10ft with side winds. It’s lumpy.
Friday, July 31st, is your first real standout. The swell settles down to a much more friendly 7ft, still from the SW. The wind is blowing offshore from the NNW at just 6 mph. The combined energy is a solid 1330. This is clean, workable surf all morning, and it stays nice into the afternoon. This is the window to aim for.
Saturday, August 1st, is a tale of two halves. Morning brings clean, 5ft surf with a very long 17-second period. That long groundswell will make for nice, peeling lines, but the sets will be few and far between. Then the size jumps to 10ft in the afternoon. It’s clean, but at that size, it’s experts only.
Sunday morning, August 2nd, is blown out by 25 mph winds. Sunday afternoon is a messy washout with rain.
Moving into the second week, there are a couple of gems. Tuesday, August 4th is a beauty. The morning has 8ft of clean SW swell with offshore wind. Then Tuesday afternoon goes completely glassy. The combined energy is 2924, giving you a solid push. This is a fantastic session for an experienced surfer.
Wednesday, August 5th, brings back the 10ft swell with a very long 18-second period and glassy conditions in the afternoon. That’s a heavy, powerful wave. It’s beautiful to look at, but you need to know what you’re doing.
The best bets for the rest of the run are Thursday, August 6th and Friday, August 7th. Thursday has clean 6ft to 7ft surf with light offshore breezes. Friday the 7th is a special one: small 3ft to 4ft swell, but with an incredibly long 23-second period. That’s the sort of groundswell that gives you long, easy rides with very clean conditions. The combined energy is 1500, so there’s still enough push.
Saturday, August 8th, is clean with 6ft of SW swell. Then from Sunday, August 9th, we get another massive pulse – 13ft plus – but with onshore winds and messy conditions.
The pick of the pack is Friday morning, July 31st and that glassy Tuesday afternoon, August 4th. For a smaller, cleaner session to end the run, look at Thursday and Friday, August 6th and 7th.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Tue afternoon). Winds decreasing (near gales from the W on Tue night, light winds from the WSW by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Fri afternoon, strong winds from the NW by Sun morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 17 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
1626 | 2462 | 2023 | 3966 | 14836 | 16669 | 9400 | 4185 | 2561 | 1886 | 1427 | 1180 | 1058 | 1059 | 1336 | 5591 | 5970 | 3376 | 4587 | 7470 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 1:12PM0.92m | 1:30PM0.95m | 00:00AM0.43m | 1:48PM0.97m | 00:41AM0.49m | 2:05PM0.97m | 1:17AM0.55m | 2:21PM0.95m | 1:52AM0.60m | 2:36PM0.91m | 2:26AM0.65m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 4:17AM0.21m | 5:21AM0.17m | 9:02PM0.39m | 6:05AM0.13m | 8:47PM0.38m | 6:41AM0.11m | 8:46PM0.36m | 7:14AM0.12m | 8:52PM0.32m | 7:46AM0.15m | 9:01PM0.28m | |||||||||
— | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | |
5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 14 | W 10 | SW 15 | — | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
1626 | 2462 | 1130 | 3966 | — | 16669 | 9400 | 4185 | 2561 | 1886 | 1427 | 1180 | 1058 | 1059 | 711 | 5591 | 5970 | 3376 | 4587 | 7470 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | SSW 16 | — | — | — | — | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | 1 | 2023 | — | — | — | — | 1046 | 452 | 244 | 119 | 33 | 388 | 565 | 1336 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | — | SW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 23 | SW 21 | SSE 8 | — | SW 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | — | 568 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 117 | 13 | — | 163 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | NNW 4 | NW 5 | W 10 | SW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | WNW 8 | — | — |
8 | 14 | 60 | 2500 | 14836 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 290 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 120 | 489 | 482 | 650 | 566 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 35 | 76 | 108 | 24 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Far West of Victoria | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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










