Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 19s period, SSE swell with 322 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period with ESE 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 20) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 18s is also forecast. 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 19s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 12s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the charts for the coming weeks.
Straight up, it's a tough run for Taylors Mistake. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak energy and not much to get excited about. The whole 16-day window is pretty much a write-off for decent waves, but there are a couple of tiny windows that might get you wet.
The first real chance comes on Sunday, July 19th. It's tiny, with a 1ft swell from the SSE, but the period is a massive 19 seconds – that's a proper groundswell, just no size. The water is a nippy 51°F, which is about normal for this time of year. The best part is the wind is glassy, absolute zero, so the surface will be like a mirror. It's a beginner spot, so perfect for a longboard if you're desperate, but the wave energy is really weak (267).
Monday, July 20th morning is similar. The swell bumps up to 2ft from the SSE with that same long 19-second period, and again, glassy conditions. The energy is moderate (371), but it's still a very small wave. The window is tiny though, as the afternoon turns into a light cross-onshore (5 km/h), which will mess up the surface.
After that, it’s a desert. From Tuesday, July 21st right through to the end of the month, we’ve got days and days of poor surf. The swell drops to 0.7ft or 1.0ft, the period is short and messy, and the wind is often onshore or strong. There’s a bit of a spike on Sunday, July 26th morning with a 2ft, 15-second easterly swell and clean cross-offshore winds, but it’s still very small and described as "surfable but very ordinary." The energy is moderate (110), but it’s not worth paddling out for.
The final week of July into August looks just as bleak. The swell stays tiny, and the wind is mostly cross or onshore. There’s a moment on Wednesday, July 29th morning with glassy conditions, but the swell is only 1.0ft. The only real energy spike comes on Thursday, July 30th morning with a 4ft, short-period (5 seconds) northeasterly windswell, but the wind is a light cross-onshore (10 km/h), so it’s going to be a bumpy, weak mess.
The best of a bad bunch? Honestly, it’s the Sunday, July 19th afternoon or Monday, July 20th morning. If you’ve got a log and a whole lot of patience, the glassy surface and long-period groundswell will make the knee-high waves feel like a treat. But for anyone looking for a proper wave, keep the board in the car.
For this spot, a blank run is pretty normal. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s not looking good for paddling.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 10°C on Sun afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri morning, min 5°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Thu night, calm by Fri night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 13 | ESE 12 | SSE 19 | SSE 19 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SE 12 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 14 | ESE 16 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 142 | 190 | 322 | 312 | 107 | 36 | 31 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 85 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:46PM2.36m | 9:16AM2.31m | 9:41PM2.29m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:59AM0.39m | 3:20PM0.47m | 3:53AM0.47m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  | | |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — |
 | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 4 |
Feels °C | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 12 | SSE 19 | SSE 19 | SSE 16 | NE 4 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | E 11 | NE 4 | NE 8 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 16 |
| kJ | 125 | 77 | 322 | 312 | 107 | 4 | 31 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 85 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 19 | SSE 18 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SSE 14 | ESE 11 | E 11 | SE 10 | NE 4 | SE 12 | E 12 | E 12 | S 10 | NE 8 | SE 12 | ENE 6 | ESE 13 | SE 6 | ESE 4 |
| kJ | 142 | 133 | 49 | 49 | 46 | 36 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 12 | — | — | — | ESE 11 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | NE 5 | SE 10 | — | S 11 | SE 10 | S 12 | E 12 | S 9 | ESE 13 | S 17 | ESE 14 | NE 6 |
| kJ | — | 190 | — | — | — | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 20 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | N 2 | NE 4 | NW 3 | NNW 3 | NW 3 | NNW 4 | SW 3 | NNW 2 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 90 | 228 | 175 | 22 | 31 | 22 | 0 |
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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