Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SSE swell with 373 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Taylors Mistake in the next 16 days are 0.8m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) 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 3.0m 9s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, looking down the line at what’s on offer for Taylors Mistake over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – the first week is a slow grind with very little to get excited about, so there’s a gap right at the start. The real standout waits all the way out on Wednesday the 10th of September. Let’s paddle through it day by day.
We kick off Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th of August with tiny, weak swell around 1 ft to 1 ft from the ENE. The water is sitting at 50°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, but with hardly any energy (combined energy of only 52 and 19) and poor surf conditions, there’s nothing to chase. Monday the 31st offers a small bump – still only 1 ft from the SSE but with a nice glassy morning and a clean, glassy afternoon. The energy is feeble (70 and 62), and the waves are surfable but very ordinary. Keep the board in the car just in case, but don’t expect much.
Tuesday the 1st of September is a write-off – 2 ft from the SSE, but the wind is blowing moderate cross-off, and the energy barely ticks over (98 and 103). Still poor. Then Wednesday the 2nd of September brings a tiny pulse of interest. Morning shows 3 ft from the SSE with a very long period of 17 seconds, glassy conditions, and the combined energy jumps to 376 – expect good surf conditions. That long-period groundswell will push through clean and powerful for a beginner-friendly spot like Taylors Mistake, but be aware: with period over 15 seconds, the wave shape might feel a bit straight at this beach, and the afternoon wipes it out with a fresh 35 km/h cross-off wind. That morning window is the only real chance in the first week, but it’s short-lived.
Thursday the 3rd through Monday the 8th of September is a desert. Tiny swell, onshore winds, and combined energy mostly below 100. Tuesday the 8th sees a small spike to 3 ft from the ENE, but it’s chopped up by moderate cross-onshore wind. The energy hits 158, but it’s still poor. Honestly, this stretch is better for a kite if the wind is up, than for paddle surfing.
Now, here’s the standout. Wednesday the 10th of September morning. We’ve got 4 ft of swell from the SSE with a long period of 13 seconds, glassy clean conditions under a light offshore cross-off breeze from the SW. The combined energy is pumping at 378, and the forecast says expect good surf conditions. That’s the one. The swell direction lines up with the optimum ENE exposure, and the quality is there – consistent, clean, and with energy to shape up some proper waves. It’s not huge, but for Taylors Mistake, this is the best on offer in the whole 16-day window. With crowds listed as “sometimes,” you might have a few locals out, but it won’t be packed. After that, the afternoon drops to marginal, and Thursday the 11th fades to poor again.
Friday the 12th and Saturday the 13th of September trail off into tiny, onshore slop with no energy. That’s it for the outlook – a long wait for that Wednesday morning burst, then back to flat.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 5°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu afternoon, min 4°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 17 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 8 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
25 | 25 | 28 | 11 | 6 | 57 | 65 | 58 | 90 | 94 | 101 | 217 | 373 | 226 | 69 | 26 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 56 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:15PM2.25m | 5:40AM2.16m | 5:58PM2.26m | 6:27AM2.20m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:06AM0.50m | 11:34PM0.51m | 11:48AM0.47m | 00:17AM0.49m | 12:32PM0.47m | 1:01AM0.48m | 1:19PM0.49m | 1:48AM0.50m | 2:11PM0.53m | 2:39AM0.51m | 3:09PM0.56m | 3:36AM0.52m | 4:09PM0.57m | ||||||||
7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | N 4 | ENE 7 | SE 11 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | NE 5 | SSE 11 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 8 | SE 11 |
25 | 25 | 28 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 65 | 58 | 90 | 94 | 101 | 217 | 373 | 226 | 69 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 56 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 12 | ENE 7 | SE 12 | SSE 17 | NE 7 | NE 10 | SE 4 | NE 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 12 | — | SE 8 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | E 5 |
17 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 57 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 26 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 12 | S 16 | ENE 8 | E 12 | — | NE 9 | — | — | — | — | SE 12 | — | NE 8 | NE 9 | SE 12 | N 3 | SE 12 | E 10 |
10 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | NNW 2 | — | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | NW 3 | — | NW 2 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 4 | — | N 3 | N 4 | NNE 4 | — | NE 3 | NNW 3 | WNW 3 | SW 3 | — |
1 | 1 | — | 1 | 17 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 9 | 9 | — | 1 | 13 | 29 | — | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 31 | 22 | 22 | 143 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 264 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 22 | 22 | 52 |
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)
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.











