The Cutting
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 7 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 941kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 789kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 260kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 827kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,411kJ
- Wind
- WNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,510kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,175kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 263, good
- Tue 366, good
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 536, poor
- Fri 635, poor
- Sat 711, poor
- Sun 846, fair
- Mon 955, fair
- Tue 1028, poor
- Wed 1120, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Jun2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 63, good | 7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 941kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 66, good | 7 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 789kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the north-west, 12 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 36, poor | 8 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 827kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 35, poor | 9 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,411kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, poor | 10 ft9 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,510kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 46, fair | 9 ft9 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,175kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 55, fair | 6 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 470kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, poor | 6 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 839kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 20, poor | 6 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 971kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 15 knots | 15°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:54 +0.3 mLow 10:14 +0.1 mHigh 13:33 +0.2 mLow 21:24 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:24 +0.2 mLow 10:26 +0.1 mHigh 13:41 +0.1 mLow 21:42 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:50 +0.1 mLow 10:45 +0.1 mHigh 13:27 +0.1 mLow 21:11 −0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
The Cutting on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Golfies - Port Fairy 8.4 km away
- Port Fairy 9.8 km away
- The Moat 10.3 km away
- The Lighthouse 10.8 km away
- Stingray bay 11.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Cutting
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (184°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (4°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Killarney, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,930–US$3,670 each
about US$1,930–US$3,670 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$959–US$2,000 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$235 |
| Total | about US$1,930–US$3,670 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 8 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Killarney its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Warrnambool on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 74 places to stay
- Beds in Port Fairy on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 74 places to stay
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 32h 05m
About 32h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 4h 15m by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.