Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 31 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 267 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 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 Tuesday (Sep 01) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. 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 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 2.5m 10s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 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. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Taylors Mistake over the next couple of weeks.
To be straight with you, the buzz isn’t great. The start of this forecast period is pretty gutless. There’s a bit of small swell, but the scores are flat. We’re looking at a long stretch of nothing special, so don’t get your hopes up.
It kicks off Monday afternoon (31 August) with a tiny 2 ft SSE swell, period of 13 seconds. The combined energy is only 106, so it’s weak. Water temp is sitting at 51°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. But it’s light rain and a cross-off wind, so it’s clean for a beginner paddle, but that's about all it’s good for.
Tuesday morning (1 September) sees a slight bump to 2 ft SSE swell, still with that long 13-second period. Winds go light offshore from the west, so it’ll look clean, but the energy is still low at 156. You can get a wave, but it's ordinary. The afternoon goes cross-on from the NE, so it’s not going to improve.
Wednesday morning (2 September) is the same 2 ft SSE swell, but the period stretches right out to 17 seconds – a proper groundswell. Combined energy hits moderate at 249. Offshore west wind will keep it clean, but a 17-second period on a beach break like this might make it a bit too straight and tricky to line up. It’s a possibility for the patient surfer, but nothing to get excited about. That afternoon the wind cranks from the north at 22 mph and drops the swell to 2 ft – a write-off.
After that, we hit a proper dead zone. From Thursday (3 September) through to Friday (11 September), there are days with next to no swell. Wave heights drop below 2 ft, the energy figures are all single-digit or low double-digit weak. It’s a gap of around a week where there is no real surf recommendation. The winds do go offshore at times, but there’s just no power. On Saturday morning (5 September) there is a 0.7 ft ENE swell with a period of 8 seconds – that is barely a ripple.
Tuesday morning (8 September) and Wednesday (9 September) are similar – tiny waves with cross-shore or cross-on winds. Not worth a look.
Finally, there’s a small pulse on Saturday morning (12 September). It’s a 2 ft ESE swell, period of 10 seconds, energy of 65. Winds are light cross-off from the SW early on, and conditions are clean. It’s surfable but very ordinary – a longboarder might get a few soft ones if they’re keen. Sunday morning (13 September) is flat with glassy conditions and a 1 ft ESE swell, but the energy is only 44 – you’d be straining for it.
The outlook doesn’t improve much into the second week. Monday 14 September through to Tuesday 15 September offers just tiny scraps of swell with weak energy. The best of a bad lot might be Tuesday morning (15 September) with a 1.0 ft SSE swell from a long 16-second period, but the energy is just 52, so it’s not going to deliver.
The honest truth? There is no standout session in this 16-day window. If you are a beginner and just want to sit in the whitewash when it’s clean, you might get a few moments on Wednesday morning (2 September) or Saturday morning (12 September). For anyone else, this run is a blank. Forecasts can change, but right now, the Mistake is living up to its name.
Stay patient.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 3°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Wed afternoon, calm by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Thu night, calm by Fri night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 13 | SE 4 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 14 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | ENE 5 | NNE 4 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SE 10 | N 3 | NE 5 | NE 9 | NE 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
98 | 3 | 154 | 161 | 267 | 246 | 105 | 37 | 11 | 3 | 30 | 29 | 61 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 55 | 41 | 12 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 11:47AM2.38m | 00:16AM2.25m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 5:31AM0.45m | 6:09PM0.47m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | |
6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | |
mm | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 14 |
Temp °C | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 9 |
Feels °C | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SE 4 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 14 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | ENE 5 | SE 10 | NE 6 | ENE 10 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SE 10 | SE 9 | S 18 | NE 9 | NE 7 |
98 | 3 | 154 | 161 | 267 | 246 | 105 | 37 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 61 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 41 | 12 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | NE 9 | S 3 | SSE 17 | NNE 4 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 9 | E 11 | NE 9 | S 9 | — | SE 10 | NE 7 | S 18 | — | ENE 5 | NNE 4 |
3 | 3 | 1 | 59 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | 6 | — | 10 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 12 | — | — | SE 12 | E 11 | S 11 | S 18 | S 9 | E 11 | SE 11 | S 15 | S 16 | E 10 | SE 9 | S 17 | S 16 |
5 | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 13 | WSW 3 | — | — | N 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 3 | N 4 | NNW 3 | NNE 4 | NNW 3 | W 3 | NW 4 | N 3 | N 3 | N 3 | NE 5 | NW 4 | WNW 3 |
— | 280 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 21 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 55 | 12 | 3 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 1 | 31 | 36 | 162 | 162 | 0 | 22 | 31 | 31 | 64 | 32 | 1 | 22 |
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.











