Taylors Mistake Surf Break

Lat Long: 43.58° S 172.78° E

Taylors Mistake Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 27 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Taylors Mistake sea temperature is
9.6° C
0.3° 

Taylors Mistake surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 3 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 14s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 14s period, SE swell with 834 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 27 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 13s period with E swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Taylors Mistake this week:

The surf forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Taylors Mistake in the next 16 days are 1.4m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 02) at 6AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Mon 27th Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 13s
Best Surf 9AM (Mon 3rd Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 14s
Most Powerful12PM (Mon 3rd Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright mate, let’s talk about Taylors Mistake for the next couple of weeks.

It starts off a bit average, then we get a clean little run of fun surf before the wind wrecks it. Water temp is about 49°F, nothing out of the ordinary for the season.

Monday 27 July is just okay. Waist-high 3ft easterly swell, 13-second period, light offshore in the morning turning glassy in the afternoon. It’s surfable but weak – energy is low. Not much to get excited about.

Tuesday 28 July is better. Glassy conditions all day with a 4ft easterly swell. Energy is moderate now, and it’s clean. Good for a longboard or a beginner. Crowds can show up sometimes, so aim for early.

Wednesday 29 July keeps the glassy texture. 3ft easterly swell, still clean in the morning. By afternoon it drops a bit but stays tidy.

Thursday 30 July starts glassy but the arvo brings a fresh north wind at 16 mph, and it gets messy. That’s the end of the smooth stuff for a while.

From Friday 31 July through Sunday 2 August, it’s poor. Strong winds, onshore or cross-off, and lumpy surf. Saturday has a long 16-second swell but it’s only 1ft and blown out by 22 mph SW winds. Not for paddling – better for a kite if you’re into that.

Now here’s your standout: Monday 3 August. This is the one. Morning offshore, clean, with a 5ft southeasterly groundswell at 14 seconds. Energy is strong – 822 in the afternoon glass-off. Expect very good surf. This is proper shoulder-high and will have some grunt. At a point like Taylors, those long-period lines will be sweet for a performance board.

Tuesday 4 August is still decent with 4ft groundswell and clean morning conditions. Good, but not the highlight.

From Wednesday 5 August on, it fades. Size drops, wind turns easterly onshore, and by 8-9 August we’re down to tiny 1ft waves with long periods that won’t do much. The last few days are flat and choppy.

So here’s the take: Monday 3 August is your day. The earlier stuff (28-29 July) is fine for a cruise, but the real deal is that first Monday of August. After that, hang up the wetsuit for a while.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 4°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 4°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, strong winds from the SW by Fri night).

Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
Sunday
2
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
2
2
2
0
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
E
13
0.8
E
13
0.9
E
14
1.1
E
13
1.1
E
13
1
E
13
0.9
E
13
0.8
E
13
0.8
E
12
0.7
E
12
0.6
E
12
0.5
E
11
0.6
ENE
8
0.4
E
11
0.4
E
11
0.4
ESE
16
0.5
ESE
15
0.7
SE
11
1.4
SSE
13
1.1
SE
13
1.2
SE
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
222
219
293
417
417
350
276
209
190
141
101
63
44
37
38
99
121
121
653
431
511
Wind (km/h)
10
W
5
NNW
5
NNE
5
WNW
5
NE
10
ENE
5
WNW
5
WNW
5
NW
5
NNW
25
N
30
NNE
25
N
25
NNW
45
SW
35
SW
30
SW
25
SW
30
SSW
30
SSW
15
SW
Wind State
off
glassy
glassy
glassy
glassy
on
glassy
glassy
glassy
glassy
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
3:03PM2.21m
3:23AM2.08m
3:47PM2.20m
4:05AM2.07m
4:29PM2.19m
4:46AM2.07m
5:09PM2.19m
5:29AM2.06m
5:49PM2.20m
6:13AM2.06m
6:29PM2.20m
6:58AM2.07m
7:12PM2.19m
Low Tide
9:18PM0.76m
9:26AM0.70m
10:00PM0.73m
10:12AM0.65m
10:43PM0.68m
10:56AM0.59m
11:27PM0.62m
11:37AM0.54m
00:09AM0.57m
12:17PM0.51m
00:50AM0.53m
12:59PM0.50m
1:31AM0.52m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
heavy rain
rain showers
light rain
heavy rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:48
7:47
7:46
7:43
7:43
7:41
7:41
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:22
5:23
5:24
5:25
5:27
5:28
5:29
 mm
11
4
3
16
2
1
1
Temp °C
7
10
8
10
12
10
10
13
10
13
14
13
12
13
9
5
5
5
6
6
5
Feels °C
4
7
5
7
9
6
7
11
8
9
8
6
4
6
6
-4
-3
-2
-2
-2
-1
  • 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 Taylors Mistake:

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 Taylors Mistake 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 Taylors Mistake Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Taylors Mistake provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Taylors Mistake can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Taylors Mistake 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 (Taylors Mistake) 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 Taylors Mistake 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 Canterbury? If you are looking for accommodation near Taylors Mistake, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Canterbury, consider staying in Christchurch which is 10 km (6 miles) away.

Nearest locationNearest