Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SSE swell with 264 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s period with SSE 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 (Aug 31) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Taylors Mistake in the next 16 days are 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 12s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let's talk about Taylors Mistake, but in feet and miles per hour.
First impression? It's a bleak stretch, mate. This 16-day window is mostly a dud, with very ordinary conditions dominating nearly every day. There's a long, long gap of poor surf at the start. You're gonna be waiting a while for anything that’s even close to worth paddling out for.
The water's sitting at about 51°F, which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year. Still chilly, so a wetsuit is mandatory.
From Sunday, August 30th, right through the first week of September, it's basically flat or tiny. Swell heights are mostly under 2 feet, with messy cross-offshore winds. The combined swell energy mostly reads in the weak range, barely over 100. There's a little window on Monday morning, August 31st, with glassy conditions on a 1ft SSE swell with a 14-second period, giving moderate energy of 84. It's surfable but very ordinary. If you're itching, you could catch a gutless one, but it's not going to be memorable.
The second week doesn't get much better. The Thursday, September 11th morning session is the only real stand-out, and it's a long-range call. We get an offshore wind from the WSW at about 6 mph with a 5ft NE swell. The combined energy hits 125 (moderate). This is the only time the wind is properly offshore with any size. For Taylors, that's a good combo, even if the direction isn't perfect. The conditions are still described as very ordinary, but it's the best the entire 16-day forecast has to offer. If you can get out that Friday morning, it's your best bet.
For the kite surfers out there, those days with strong cross-off winds and 3-4ft swells in the second week will look a lot more fun than what a paddler can handle.
Honestly, for most of us, this is a good window to do some board repairs or watch the cams. It’s a standard quiet spell for the area.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 4°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 6°C on Fri night). Mainly strong winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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) | ENE 7 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | SE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | NE 8 | SSE 8 | NE 8 | N 3 | SSE 15 | NE 4 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 153 | 81 | 5 | 89 | 142 | 113 | 264 | 190 | 76 | 29 | 12 | 13 | 23 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 2 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:58PM2.26m | 6:27AM2.20m | 6:45PM2.26m | 7:16AM2.24m | 7:37PM2.25m | 8:07AM2.29m | 8:33PM2.24m | 8:59AM2.32m | 9:30PM2.23m | 9:53AM2.35m | 10:26PM2.23m | 10:49AM2.37m | 11:21PM2.24m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:17AM0.49m | 12:32PM0.47m | 1:01AM0.48m | 1:19PM0.49m | 1:48AM0.50m | 2:11PM0.53m | 2:39AM0.51m | 3:09PM0.56m | 3:36AM0.52m | 4:09PM0.57m | 4:34AM0.50m | 5:11PM0.53m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 8 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | NE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 14 | NE 4 | NE 6 | ENE 3 | SE 9 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | S 9 | N 3 | SSE 15 | NE 4 |
| kJ | 5 | 153 | 81 | 4 | 89 | 142 | 113 | 264 | 190 | 76 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | ENE 8 | N 4 | SE 11 | SSE 4 | E 9 | SSE 17 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | E 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | E 11 | NW 4 | SSE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | — | S 16 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | 21 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | E 12 | NE 7 | — | NE 9 | — | E 9 | E 12 | E 10 | — | E 10 | E 10 | SE 11 | S 16 | NE 8 | NE 9 | — | — | NE 8 | S 7 |
| kJ | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 3 | — | — | 10 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 4 | — | NNW 4 | SSW 4 | WSW 3 | SW 3 | — | NNW 4 | NE 10 | NNW 4 | NNW 3 | SE 3 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | S 17 | NW 4 | NW 4 | NNW 4 | ENE 8 | NNW 3 |
| kJ | 15 | — | 6 | 20 | 10 | 7 | — | 5 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 23 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 36 | 44 | 0 | 185 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 150 | 162 | 22 | 31 | 36 | 133 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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