Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSE swell with 291 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 17s 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 Saturday (Sep 12) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. 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 0.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) 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 3.5m 16s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 12) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s talk about Taylors Mistake.
Look, I gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days are a tough watch for Taylors. If you’re hoping for a classic session with a bit of push and clean conditions, you’re going to be disappointed for the vast majority of the run. The pattern is dominated by very small, weak energy, with poor cross-onshore or shifty wind states spoiling most of what little bumps show up. The combined wave energy is mostly in the weak range (single and low double-digits), and we hardly ever see any decent height with good wind lining up together.
The first real sniff of anything approachable comes on the morning of Saturday the 12th. We get a small but long-period groundswell from the SSE at 2ft and a 16-second period. The combined energy reading jumps to 220 (moderate), which is the best we see. But, the catch is a cross-offshore wind from the SW. It’s surfable, but the conditions are ordinary. After that, it’s back to a desert of flat days and onshore junk for over a week.
You have to wait all the way until Saturday the 26th for another small window. That morning we get a glassy start, some SSE swell from the same 16-second period, and a combined energy of 56. It’s only 1ft, but glassy and clean. That afternoon looks the same, glassy again with 1ft and that same long-period energy. It’s not a day to get excited about, but it’s the cleanest, most consistent-looking morning we get.
A couple of honorable mentions: Thursday the 24th morning has 1ft from the SSE with a 13-second period, a 65 combined energy reading, and a light W offshore. That’s clean, but tiny. The setup is so small and mostly weak that a beginner would struggle to find anything with push, but the crowds at Taylors Mistake can be a concern sometimes, so on these glassy, small days you might have it to yourself.
Don’t expect any standouts here. The best on offer is the morning of the 26th for a glassy, long-period small-wave cruise. Everything else in the 16-day window is either too small, onshore, or both. It’s a quiet run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 12°C on Sun morning, min 6°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 7°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 8 | NE 4 | E 11 | ENE 5 | N 4 | ENE 6 | ENE 9 | SE 5 | SE 4 | E 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 51 | 217 | 291 | 171 | 44 | 42 | 27 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 16 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | on | off | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:41AM2.32m | 5:07PM2.36m | 5:37AM2.32m | 6:00PM2.33m | 6:33AM2.32m | 6:53PM2.28m | 7:26AM2.33m | 7:46PM2.23m | 8:15AM2.32m | 8:38PM2.18m | 9:01AM2.28m | 9:27PM2.14m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:32PM0.34m | 10:58AM0.30m | 11:26PM0.36m | 11:50AM0.36m | 00:17AM0.40m | 12:41PM0.45m | 1:05AM0.46m | 1:32PM0.55m | 1:52AM0.55m | 2:23PM0.64m | 2:39AM0.65m | 3:13PM0.71m | |||||||
 |  | |  | | |  | | | |  | | | |  |  |  | | | |
 | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:19 | — |
mm | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
Feels °C | 9 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 8 | NE 4 | SE 8 | ENE 5 | E 13 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SE 5 | SE 4 | ESE 4 |
| kJ | 3 | 217 | 291 | 171 | 44 | 42 | 27 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 16 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 12 | S 16 | E 12 | ENE 3 | SE 9 | E 11 | S 8 | E 10 | E 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | E 14 |
| kJ | 51 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 29 | 25 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 16 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | E 7 | — | ENE 9 | — | E 12 | S 18 | E 12 | S 16 | E 12 | E 11 | SE 11 | E 10 | S 8 | E 10 | — | E 14 | E 11 | E 6 |
| kJ | 3 | 1 | — | 8 | — | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 3 | — | SSE 3 | — | — | — | NE 3 | — | NE 2 | NNW 3 | N 4 | N 3 | S 3 | — | SSW 2 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 6 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 1 | — | 1 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 22 | 0 | 0 | 233 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 31 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 31 | 31 | 22 | 36 | 35 | 0 | 31 | 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