Surf Forecasts:
The Cutting surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 21ft (6.5m), 18s period, SSW swell with 24,155 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period with WSW 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 Sunday (Sep 06) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 3.5m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 11s is also forecast. 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 6.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 21ft (6.5m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cutting over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, this time in feet and miles.
Let’s talk about The Cutting. This spot faces south, so it’s a magnet for any solid SW groundswell, but the problem over the next couple of weeks is that it’s going to get hammered. For the first few days, we’re looking at swell heights from 11 to 18 feet, with wave energy readings in the thousands and tens of thousands. That’s a ton of power. Winds are mostly cross or cross-onshore, making for lumpy, choppy conditions. Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th are no-go for a normal paddle. Water temp is about average for the time of year.
The first real standout is Tuesday morning, the 8th of September. Swell drops to about 7 feet out of the SW with a long 18-second period, and a gentle WNW cross-offshore breeze. That’s clean. The combined energy is 4067—strong but workable. This is for experienced surfers. Crowds are possible. The long period means the sets will be well-spaced and the waves will have proper shape. This is your best bet in the first week.
After that, it gets big again. Wednesday the 9th through the 11th is all massive swell and onshore wind. You’d be crazy to paddle out. Then Saturday the 12th cleans up with offshore wind, but the swell is still 10 to 11 feet—still too big for most. That’s more of a kiteboarding setup than a surfing one.
The second week settles down a bit. Monday the 14th morning brings a smaller 5-foot SW swell with a 13-second period and light offshore NNW wind. Combined energy is 759—weak but clean. It’s the most manageable wave in the whole run. After that, it gets messy again through the 15th and 16th. Thursday the 17th morning has a 10-foot SW swell with cross-off wind at 15 mph, but that’s still big and the wind is fresh.
The very end of the run, around the 20th and 21st, sees another massive pulse of 13 to 20-foot SW swell with very long periods (16–22 seconds) and strong cross-offshore winds at 25 mph. Too big for The Cutting, and the wind will be howling. Another one for the kite crew.
Bottom line: if you’re experienced, Tuesday the 8th morning is your session. For everyone else, Monday the 14th morning is the one to watch. The rest is either too big, too windy, or both.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Sat night, calm by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 11°C on Tue night, min 9°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Tue night, light winds from the SW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 8 | SW 12 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 5584 | 4626 | 3318 | 1794 | 754 | 737 | 1519 | 2402 | 4834 | 8434 | 9663 | 19682 | 24155 | 17737 | 11992 | 7332 | 4955 | 5270 | 6970 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:49AM0.67m | 1:10PM0.82m | 1:00PM0.86m | 12:55PM0.88m | 12:53PM0.88m | 11:50PM0.40m | 12:54PM0.86m | 00:05AM0.53m | 12:56PM0.82m | 00:33AM0.67m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 7:33AM0.67m | 9:41PM0.06m | 10:05PM0.15m | 10:14PM0.26m | 8:56PM0.37m | 5:13AM0.24m | 7:39PM0.40m | 6:00AM0.21m | 7:09PM0.34m | ||||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 8 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 329 | 4626 | 3318 | 1794 | 754 | 737 | 1451 | 1594 | 4834 | 6936 | 9663 | 19682 | 24155 | 17737 | 11992 | 7332 | 4955 | 5270 | 6970 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 15 | — | S 24 | SW 22 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | — | — | SSW 20 | — | — | — | — | S 26 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 167 | — | 11 | 118 | 250 | 1519 | 2402 | — | — | 4013 | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 21 | SW 14 | S 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 283 | 350 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | — | — | — | SSW 7 | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 5584 | — | — | — | 394 | — | — | — | — | 8434 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 449 | 24 | 76 | 76 | 145 | 566 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 623 | 771 | 1263 | 129 | 76 | 76 | 24 | 76 | 108 | 35 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Far West of Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Cutting surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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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