
Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, ENE swell with 683 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with SE 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 (Aug 11) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. 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 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Taylors Mistake over the next couple of weeks. The water temp is sitting right around 49°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The outlook starts off pretty grim. Monday the 10th through to the end of the following week is mostly a write-off. We’ve got small, weak swell and the wind is just not playing ball. Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th are particularly poor, with onshore and cross-on winds mushing up what little bump there is. The swell is tiny and the energy is weak (62-230 range). Don’t bother paddling out for those.
There’s a brief flicker on Thursday the 13th morning – a jump in swell to 7ft from the ENE, with a short 8-second period pushing combined energy up to 764. That’s a solid moderate pulse, but the wind is onshore and the conditions are messy. It’ll be a bumpy, choppy affair, really only for the keen or the kited-out crew. The afternoon drops off fast.
We get a bit of a reprieve from Friday the 14th through to Tuesday the 18th. The wind swings offshore or cross-off from the SW and WSW, cleaning things up nicely. The waves are small though, mostly 2ft to 3ft from the E, with periods around 8-10 seconds. The energy is moderate (109-192 range). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Not a standout, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, the mornings are your best bet.
Now, the real highlight, and the one to circle on your calendar, is Wednesday the 19th of August. This is the standout. We’ve got a solid 5ft swell from the SSE, with a very long 16-17 second period. The combined energy absolutely pumps up to 1186 in the morning and 1764 in the afternoon – that’s strong to very strong energy. The wind is a clean cross-off from the SW and SSW, keeping it tidy. This is a proper groundswell, and on a setup like Taylors, it’s going to produce some seriously good, powerful waves. This one’s for the experienced surfers. The afternoon session is the best on offer across the whole forecast.
Thursday the 20th is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning goes glassy, with a 3ft SE swell and 10-second period, energy at 242. It’s surfable, but nothing special. The afternoon gets bigger again at 6ft from the SE, but the onshore ENE wind chops it up.
Friday the 21st is another solid session. Clean offshore wind in the morning from the WSW at 6 mph, with a 4ft SE swell at 10 seconds. The energy is moderate to strong (340). The afternoon goes glassy with the same 4ft swell. These are going to be clean, fun waves.
The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd is small and weak again, but Sunday the 23rd morning has a nice clean offshore wind from the WSW, with a 3ft SSE swell at a long 14-second period. The energy is 516, so it’s got some punch. It’ll be clean and lined up, but small.
The final run from Monday the 24th to Tuesday the 25th is back to poor conditions with onshore winds and choppy surf. Not worth the effort.
So, to wrap it up: the first week is mostly a dud. The standout is Wednesday the 19th of August – that’s the day. Friday the 21st is your next best bet for clean, fun waves. Keep your eyes on the long-range for Sunday the 23rd morning too.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, fresh winds from the NE by Tue night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 6°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 18 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
30 | 68 | 70 | 41 | 98 | 163 | 226 | 201 | 579 | 130 | 311 | 127 | 96 | 76 | 74 | 84 | 64 | 99 | 132 | 109 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:26AM2.34m | 2:51PM2.51m | 3:21AM2.39m | 3:46PM2.53m | 4:13AM2.40m | 4:40PM2.52m | 5:06AM2.39m | 5:33PM2.48m | 6:01AM2.37m | 6:26PM2.43m | 6:59AM2.34m | 7:20PM2.37m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:15PM0.36m | 8:33AM0.29m | 9:09PM0.29m | 9:31AM0.23m | 10:03PM0.26m | 10:27AM0.18m | 10:59PM0.26m | 11:21AM0.17m | 11:53PM0.27m | 12:13PM0.22m | 00:46AM0.30m | 1:05PM0.31m | 1:36AM0.36m | |||||||
— | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | |
5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
Feels °C | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | E 14 | ENE 8 | ESE 14 | ENE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
27 | 68 | 70 | 41 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 167 | 18 | 123 | 127 | 96 | 76 | 74 | 76 | 64 | 99 | 132 | 109 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | SSE 7 | S 16 | S 20 | SE 9 | E 14 | — | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | SE 6 | S 16 | S 16 | E 16 |
30 | 56 | 34 | 12 | 31 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 15 | — | 14 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 6 | SE 10 | S 21 | S 15 | S 18 | SE 9 | S 17 | E 10 | S 14 | S 15 | S 18 | E 11 | E 11 | S 17 | ESE 9 | ESE 13 | S 17 |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 9 | 4 | 25 | 3 | 22 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 61 | 16 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 2 | — | — | — | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | — | — | — | S 18 | SE 18 | SW 3 | SW 3 | S 5 | — |
1 | — | — | — | 98 | 163 | 226 | 201 | 579 | 130 | 311 | — | — | — | 27 | 84 | 2 | 1 | 37 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 22 | 32 | 181 | 52 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 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.











