Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 15s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 15s period, E swell with 835 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period with ENE 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 Friday (Jul 24) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 5s. 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 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk in feet and degrees. The first week is a dud. A long, flat spell from now until Sunday the 27th of July, with nothing worth paddling for. A few tiny bumps, but that’s about it. The water’s 50°, which is about 1° warmer than normal for this time of year, so a little on the mild side.
The real action starts to build from Monday the 28th of July. We’ve got a nice E swell filling in, with the energy climbing from moderate (443) up to strong (823) by Tuesday morning. Swell heights are 3ft to 5ft, with a period of 13 to 15 seconds—that’s deep, groundswell energy. The wind is dead calm, glassy, out of the WNW and then NNE. That’s going to be pristine at Taylors Mistake. The swell direction is from the E, a bit off the optimum ENE, but it’ll wrap in fine. For a beginner-friendly spot, this is the standout. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so expect a few people, but it’s worth it. The morning of the 28th is the one: glassy, 5ft, and 15-second E swell. That’s the call.
The good run continues through the 29th, a bit smaller at 4ft, but still glassy. The 30th gets a little more ordinary, with a light cross-shore, but still surfable. Now, into the first week of August, it gets wild. The 1st is messy with stronger winds. The 2nd of August is a big one—Sunday afternoon has a massive 12ft SE swell, but the note says it’s too big for this break. That’s a beast of a swell with energy through the roof (3074), but with a 10-second period, it’s going to be a washing machine. Cross-onshore wind too. That’s a kite surfer’s day, not a paddle surfer’s.
On Monday the 3rd of August, it eases. Morning shows a 6ft ESE swell with a 13-second period and clean cross-offshore winds. The energy is still very strong (1842), so it’s for expert surfers only, but the conditions are excellent. That’s a solid second standout for the experienced crew. After that, it fades into small, clean waves through the 4th and 5th, nothing special.
So, the best of the bunch? Without a doubt, the morning of Tuesday the 28th of July at Taylors Mistake. Glassy, 5ft of E groundswell, clean as a whistle. That’s your session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 6°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the N by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 3°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | SE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 11 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 18 | ESE 16 | E 15 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 14 | E 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 46 | 31 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 10 | 21 | 61 | 35 | 39 | 20 | 61 | 86 | 155 | 146 | 222 | 289 | 366 | 720 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | off |
High Tide | 10:09AM2.28m | 10:34PM2.23m | 11:00AM2.26m | 11:24PM2.18m | 11:52AM2.24m | 00:13AM2.14m | 12:42PM2.23m | 1:02AM2.11m | 1:30PM2.22m | 1:51AM2.09m | 2:18PM2.22m | 2:39AM2.08m | 3:03PM2.21m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:17PM0.60m | 4:46AM0.55m | 5:15PM0.70m | 5:37AM0.63m | 6:12PM0.76m | 6:24AM0.69m | 7:05PM0.79m | 7:08AM0.73m | 7:52PM0.79m | 7:52AM0.75m | 8:36PM0.78m | 8:38AM0.74m | 9:18PM0.76m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | | | | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 5 | — | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
Feels °C | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | NE 5 | E 11 | E 11 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | E 11 | E 12 | ENE 5 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 16 | E 15 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 14 | E 15 |
| kJ | 46 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 39 | 20 | 11 | 86 | 155 | 146 | 222 | 289 | 366 | 720 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | E 11 | SE 10 | SE 12 | E 12 | E 12 | S 10 | S 9 | NE 8 | NNE 4 | SSE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | E 11 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 10 |
| kJ | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 40 | 55 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 108 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 11 | SE 10 | S 13 | ESE 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 12 | S 14 | E 13 | NE 10 | ESE 13 | ESE 18 | SE 6 | SE 6 | S 13 | E 11 | ESE 13 | — | — |
| kJ | 25 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 61 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 143 | 154 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 4 | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 2 | NE 4 | N 3 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 12 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 19 | 7 | 21 | 61 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 31 | 32 | 35 | 260 | 162 | 35 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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