Surf Forecasts:
The Cutting surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 12,449 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 4AM (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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cutting in the next 16 days are 5.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about The Cutting. We’ve got a run of swell coming, but honestly, it’s a tale of two weeks – and most of it is just too much for this place. The Cutting is an exposed spot that needs the right size, and we’re about to get hammered.
We kick off on Tuesday the 1st of September with a bit of light rain and a strong westerly cross-off breeze kicking in at 28 mph. The swell is already 7 ft from the SW with a solid 15-second period, packing a lot of energy (1892). The water temp is 57°, about average for this time of year. It’s marginal here, not worth getting wet for.
Then the floodgates open. Wednesday the 2nd through Monday the 7th of September, we’re looking at swell heights from 12 ft all the way up to 20 ft. This is expert-only stuff, and even then, the conditions are often messy with heavy cross-shore winds and lumpy chop. The wave energy is huge – we’re talking values like 5478, 9582, even 21838 – but it’s just too big and raw for The Cutting to handle. There’s a glimmer Wednesday morning with a NW cross-off at 12 mph and the swell looking clean, but at 12 ft it’s still pushing the limit. By Thursday and Friday, wind shifts to cross and onshore, making it a washing machine. Honestly, this stretch looks more like a kite surfer’s playground than a paddle surfer’s dream.
Now, Monday the 7th is where it starts to get interesting. The swell drops to 6 ft from the SW, still a long 13-second groundswell, but the wind goes light and cross-off from the NE at 6 mph. It’s clean, and for experienced surfers, this is the real deal. Wave energy is moderate at 1113. Monday afternoon holds similar with 5 ft. Tuesday the 8th is the standout. We’ve got a glassy morning with no wind and a 6 ft SW swell – but check the period: 18 seconds. That is very long-period groundswell, meaning proper energy and shape, especially at a point or reef setup like The Cutting. The energy reading is 3094, moderate but powerful. This is easily the best on offer, but note the glassy conditions could make the sets a bit spread out. Tuesday afternoon turns sour fast with a strong cross-onshore.
The rest of the second week is a mixed bag. Wednesday the 9th is a write-off with huge onshore swell. Thursday to Sunday, the 10th to the 13th, is mostly too big (10 ft to 15 ft) with poor winds. By Monday the 14th, we get a bit of relief – a 7 ft SW swell and a clean offshore from the NNW at 9 mph. It’s surfable for the experienced, with energy at 1250. Tuesday the 15th has small 4 ft swell but a short-lived window. After that, conditions slip back into mess.
So, the call is clear: if you’re at The Cutting, wait for Monday the 7th and particularly Tuesday morning the 8th. That glassy, 6 ft SW groundswell with the 18-second period is the best you’re going to get. It’s clean, it’s powerful, and it’s worth the wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Tue afternoon, light winds from the NW by Thu night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the WNW on Sat morning, calm by Sun night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
1889 | 2913 | 5478 | 5369 | 6408 | 9582 | 11703 | 11463 | 11729 | 10232 | 7674 | 5956 | 11175 | 7349 | 5160 | 3160 | 1315 | 951 | 809 | 1100 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 2:43AM0.84m | 1:57PM0.72m | 3:15AM0.85m | 1:52PM0.71m | 3:50AM0.82m | 1:41PM0.73m | 4:32AM0.75m | 1:26PM0.77m | 5:49AM0.67m | 1:10PM0.82m | 1:00PM0.86m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 8:11PM0.12m | 8:36AM0.34m | 8:23PM0.07m | 8:56AM0.44m | 8:38PM0.03m | 9:05AM0.54m | 8:56PM0.01m | 8:53AM0.63m | 9:17PM0.02m | 7:33AM0.67m | 9:41PM0.06m | 10:05PM0.15m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | |
6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | |
mm | 8 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | — | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
1889 | 2913 | 5478 | 5369 | 6408 | — | 10135 | 11463 | 11729 | 10232 | 7674 | 3558 | — | 7349 | 5160 | 3160 | 1315 | 951 | 809 | 946 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 9 | S 8 | SSW 20 | SW 19 |
3 | 154 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 95 | 44 | 267 | 1100 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 24 | SW 22 | SSE 7 | SE 7 |
— | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 118 | 31 | 12 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | SW 14 | — | — | — | NW 4 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | — | — | — | — | ENE 2 | ESE 3 | E 5 |
66 | — | — | — | — | 9582 | 11703 | — | — | — | 13 | 5956 | 11175 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 9 | 11 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 80 | 76 | 80 | 24 | 121 | 674 | 158 | 80 | 80 | 35 | 547 | 665 | 650 | 76 | 52 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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











