The Cutting Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into this one.

We’re looking at a single break, The Cutting, for the next 16 days. Right out of the gate, we’ve got a monster. The swell is huge – a solid 13ft to 15ft from the SW with a 15-second period. The combined energy numbers are off the charts (6960 to 5145), meaning there’s a ton of power in the water. The word is that this swell is predicted to be too big for the break. The wind is light, but it doesn’t matter. This is a spot exposed to the south, and for Thursday 16th and Friday 17th July, it’s a no-go unless you’re a big-wave charger. This is straight-up expert territory.

Saturday 18th July is where it all changes for the better. The swell drops to a much more manageable 8ft from the SW, with a 14-second period. The combined energy (2258) still screams quality. More importantly, we get a light offshore breeze from the NNW in the morning and a light cross-offshore from the WNW in the afternoon. The water will be clean. This is the standout window. This is excellent, powerful surf for those who know what they’re doing.

Sunday 19th July starts clean with a 5ft swell from the WSW and a light offshore wind. It stays in that zone through the afternoon at about 5ft. The rest of that week, from Monday 20th through Thursday 23rd July, the swell stays in a good range of 5ft to 8ft, mainly from the SW and WSW. The wind stays favorable – light to moderate offshore or cross-offshore – which means the face of the wave will be smooth. The period stays between 12 and 16 seconds, so the waves will have real push. Monday and Tuesday mornings are looking particularly stand-out for a clean, powerful session.

Things go pear-shaped on Friday 24th July. We get another big 12ft SW swell, but this time the onshore wind from the SW hits 18 mph, and conditions are described as poor. The combined energy (5020 to 5270) is still huge but it’s a messy, blown-out mess. Saturday 25th July is the same story: big 10ft to 12ft swells, but with strong onshore and cross-onshore winds. Stay home.

Sunday 26th July through Tuesday 28th July is a tough stretch. The swell is still huge – 10ft to 15ft – with very high energy numbers (9046 to 3459). While the wind does turn offshore on Monday and Tuesday, the swell is still listed as too big for the break. It’s clean but heavy. Expert-only stuff.

Wednesday 29th July offers a last-gasp opportunity. The morning has a clean 8ft SW swell with a cross-offshore wind. The big story is the afternoon: a 12ft W swell goes glassy calm. Zero wind. If you have the skills and the board for that size, that afternoon is a once-in-a-forecast special. The energy is massive (5409), but it’s perfect.

Thursday 30th July turns ugly again with a cross-onshore wind and a 10ft SW swell. The outlook ends on Friday 31st July with a 7ft WSW swell and a moderate cross-offshore wind. It’s clean, but the call is marginal.

So, the pick of the lot is Saturday 18th July morning. That 8ft SW swell with a 14-second period and a light offshore breeze is the best surf you're going to see in this window. The water temperature is about average for this time of year. This break can get crowded when it’s good, and it will be good, so expect some company. For the second week, the only other real call is Wednesday 29th July afternoon for the absolute big-wave specialists.

That’s the story.

- Rusty

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