Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 14s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, NE swell with 256 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 14s 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 24) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. 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 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.
To be straight with you, this is a pretty quiet stretch. The first recommendation doesn’t even pop up until Saturday the 29th of August, so we’ve got a solid week of nothing worthwhile before that. After that, the surf stays very marginal, with a few days that might be worth a paddle, but nothing that’s gonna get your heart racing. There’s a gap of a few days with no real recommendations after the 30th, then a brief window around the 1st of September, and then it fades out again.
The standout option, really the only one that gets close to decent, is Taylors Mistake on the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. We’re looking at a 3 ft swell from the NE, with a short period of only 5 seconds. The energy is weak (70). That’s not a lot of power, but the wind is a light cross-off from the WNW at just 3 mph, so it’ll be clean. It’s a beginner-friendly break, fairly consistent, and the swell direction from the ENE is a good match for the spot. It won’t be big or punchy, but it’s the best of a pretty quiet bunch.
After that, the morning of Monday the 31st of August sees a bit more energy in the water, with a 2 ft swell from the SE at 17 seconds, and a combined energy of 300 (moderate). That’s a long-period groundswell, which can be a bit tricky on a beach break, but Taylors is a pretty forgiving setup. The wind is light cross-on from the ENE at 3 mph, so it’s not perfect, but it’s surfable. The water temperature right now is about average for the time of year.
Then on Tuesday the 1st of September, the morning is glassy with a 2 ft SE swell at 11 seconds and energy of 128 (moderate). It’s small, but clean. The afternoon is also glassy with a 1 ft SSE swell. That’s the last real window before it drops away again.
Honestly, if you’re desperate for a wave, the 29th morning is your best bet. It’s small, clean, and beginner-friendly. After that, keep an eye on the 31st and the 1st of September, but don’t expect much.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 6°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, near gales from the NW by Sat night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Wed morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 6°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, strong winds from the NW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | NNE 5 | NE 9 | E 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | SSE 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 26 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 52 | 38 | 15 | 39 | 35 | 33 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 24 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:50PM2.15m | 11:12AM2.23m | 11:37PM2.10m | 12:01PM2.19m | 00:24AM2.07m | 12:51PM2.17m | 1:12AM2.05m | 1:40PM2.16m | 2:01AM2.04m | 2:27PM2.16m | 2:47AM2.06m | 3:12PM2.17m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:58AM0.71m | 5:34PM0.79m | 5:45AM0.76m | 6:25PM0.80m | 6:29AM0.77m | 7:12PM0.80m | 7:14AM0.76m | 7:56PM0.77m | 8:01AM0.72m | 8:39PM0.73m | 8:50AM0.66m | 9:23PM0.67m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |
 | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
Feels °C | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | SSE 10 | E 14 | NE 9 | NE 7 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 9 | NNE 3 | E 14 | NNE 4 | E 14 | E 14 | SSE 16 |
| kJ | 6 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 38 | 7 | 39 | 35 | 33 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 16 | 15 | 24 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 16 | E 10 | E 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | E 15 | SE 10 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | ENE 5 | S 17 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 | E 13 |
| kJ | 26 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 13 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 13 | S 15 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | S 19 | SE 9 | NE 9 | NE 7 | — | E 8 | S 16 | E 14 | SE 9 | E 14 | E 11 | S 17 | E 6 |
| kJ | 6 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 3 | — | N 3 | N 4 | NNE 5 | NNW 4 | WNW 4 | SW 3 | — | — | N 3 | NW 3 | NNW 4 | NW 3 | N 3 | NE 2 | NE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | 5 | — | 7 | 23 | 52 | 16 | 24 | 5 | — | — | 8 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 31 | 31 | 31 | 22 | 31 | 31 | 133 | 259 | 550 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 22 | 36 | 133 | 8 | 32 | 31 |
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