The Cutting Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.41° S 142.52° E

The Cutting Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 pm 02 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cutting sea temperature is
14.1° C
0.2° 

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 2 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 3 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with 5,470 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 3 Aug, 7PM (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 Monday (Aug 03) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 14s period. 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 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 10s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7PM (Mon 3rd Aug)13ft (4.0m) 14s
Best Surf 7PM (Mon 3rd Aug)13ft (4.0m) 14s
Most Powerful 1PM (Sun 9th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 14s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s the lowdown for The Cutting over the next 16 days. There’s plenty of swell coming, but you gotta pick your moments. The first few days are a wash, but once we get past mid-next week, there’s some serious potential for those who know what they’re doing.

We start Sunday the 2nd with a clean 8ft SW swell rolling in, period a solid 15 seconds, and the wind is fresh offshore from the NNW. The water temp is 57°F, which is pretty average for this time of year. That morning could be alright for an intermediate, but the afternoon has that "marginal" tag on it. Monday and Tuesday are a complete mess – strong winds, rain, and the swell jumps to 12ft with cross and cross-onshore winds. The combined energy is up there, but the quality is poor. Stay home.

Wednesday the 5th sees the swell drop to 6ft SW, period still a long 14 seconds, but the wind is cross-shore and light. The conditions are clean enough, but nothing special. Thursday the 6th is similar, with a 5ft SW swell and clean cross-off winds, but still marginal.

Now, Friday the 7th morning is the first real standout. We’ve got a 10ft SW swell with a 16-second period – proper groundswell – and the wind is light offshore from the N. The combined energy is pumping. The file says the swell might be too big for this break, but for experienced surfers, the conditions are excellent. This is the one to circle if you’ve got the skills. The afternoon is cleaner with a 8ft SW swell and light cross-off winds, but the morning is the pick.

Saturday the 8th is a write-off – strong offshore winds at 22 mph make it hard to paddle into, and the conditions are marginal. Sunday the 9th is messy with cross-shore winds and a 13ft swell in the afternoon, so skip it.

Then we hit Monday the 10th and things get serious – but not in a good way. The swell jumps to 21ft SW, period 16 seconds, and the combined energy is massive. The wind is fresh offshore in the morning, so it’s clean, but this is only for experts. The afternoon turns cross-onshore and lumpy. Tuesday the 11th is similar, with a 18ft SW swell and cross-shore winds. These days are all marked as too big for the break, so unless you’re charging, give it a miss.

Wednesday the 12th sees the swell drop to 10ft with clean cross-off winds – finally something more manageable. Still on the big side, but cleaner. Thursday the 13th morning is a beauty – 6ft SW swell, 13-second period, light cross-off winds, and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a solid session for the intermediate crew.

Friday the 14th is another huge day – 20ft SW swell in the morning with glassy conditions. The combined energy is massive. It’s too big for most, but if you’re an expert and the tide lines up, that morning glass-off is a dream. The afternoon is onshore and messy.

The following weekend is still big – Saturday the 15th has a 16ft SSW swell with clean cross-off winds, and Sunday the 16th has a 13ft SW swell with light winds. Both are too big for the average surfer, but the conditions are clean.

The last few days, Monday the 17th, we’re still looking at 12-13ft SW swells with light winds. The combined energy is still strong. Again, expert territory.

Overall, the best on offer is Friday the 7th morning for the experienced crew, and Thursday the 13th morning for intermediates. The rest of the window is either too big, too windy, or just marginal. Crowds are possible at The Cutting, but with this much swell, it might thin out the pack. Signing off, Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 7°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Mon afternoon, light winds from the SW by Tue night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 8°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Wed night, fresh winds from the NNE by Sat morning).

Sun
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
2
0
!
0
0
1
3
3
4
2
3
4
!
5
5
3
3
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.5
SW
15
2.4
SW
15
2.4
SW
15
3.5
WSW
14
3.5
SW
12
3.5
SW
12
3
SW
11
2.3
SW
11
1.8
SW
14
1.8
SW
14
1
SW
17
1.1
SW
16
1.6
SW
16
2
SW
15
3
SW
16
2.4
SW
14
2.5
SW
17
2.5
SW
16
2.5
SW
16
2.5
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
3357
2449
2662
4531
4173
3145
2017
1176
1382
1135
573
636
1284
1715
3926
2391
3629
3039
3001
2597
Wind (km/h)
30
NNW
30
NW
30
W
35
W
30
WSW
35
SW
30
SW
20
SW
10
W
15
W
10
NW
15
NW
20
WNW
10
NNW
15
N
10
NNW
25
NNE
35
NNE
40
N
35
N
Wind State
off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
High Tide
2:26AM0.65m
2:47PM0.85m
3:01AM0.69m
2:54PM0.79m
3:38AM0.71m
2:51PM0.74m
4:19AM0.71m
2:36PM0.71m
5:13AM0.70m
2:06PM0.73m
1:30PM0.79m
Low Tide
9:01PM0.28m
8:16AM0.20m
9:11PM0.24m
8:44AM0.28m
9:21PM0.20m
9:10AM0.38m
9:31PM0.15m
9:28AM0.49m
9:44PM0.11m
9:26AM0.60m
10:01PM0.08m
10:25PM0.07m
part cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
mod rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:30
7:28
7:28
7:26
7:26
7:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:40
5:42
5:43
5:44
5:45
5:45
5:45
 mm
2
2
2
2
2
1
6
Temp °C
14
9
11
11
11
12
12
12
11
12
12
10
12
11
15
16
12
14
11
10
Feels °C
7
2
4
3
4
5
5
7
8
8
9
6
9
9
12
13
8
6
2
2
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for The Cutting:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

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

Nearest locationNearest