Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period, NNE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period, SSE swell with 137 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period with NNE 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s 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 0.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 5s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, grab a seat. Rusty here. Lookin’ at the charts for Taylors Mistake, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s gonna be a long, quiet stretch. We’ve got a 16-day window ahead, but don’t go getting your hopes up for any kind of proper session. There’s a big gap of nothing to start.
The first actual time you could even think about it would be Monday morning, the 24th of August. Even then, it’s a struggle. We’ve got tiny 1ft swell out of the SSE, and while the wind goes glassy, the combined wave energy is weak, just 93. It’s clean as a whistle, but there’s barely a bump. You’ll be sitting there bobbing around more than surfing. The water temp is sitting at 50°, which is about the norm for this time of year, nothing unusual there.
That little window of glassy, gutless surf hangs around for the Monday arvo too, but the energy drops off to 59. Then it’s back to the doldrums all the way through to the end of August. We get a bit of a lift on the 28th of August, Friday afternoon. A 1ft swell from the ENE, period of 15 seconds, and a gentle offshore wind from the West. That’s a proper-looking groundswell period, but the size is pathetic. The combined energy does get into moderate territory at 171, so there might be a bit more push than the last week, but it’s still tiny and clean. Not worth paddling out for.
Then it’s another dead zone. Nothing at all for days.
The next sniff of anything that looks like surf kicks off on the 2nd of September, a Wednesday. We finally see some 1ft swell from the SSE, but with a period of 17 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell. The direction is off for Taylors Mistake (which likes it from the ENE), so it’ll likely wrap in weird. The morning is clean with a cross-offshore breeze, and the energy climbs to 120. The afternoon looks a bit better, with a gentle offshore wind from the WNW and the energy up to 144. Again, the wave heights are barely there, but it’s the best of a bad bunch.
Don’t get excited about the 3rd of September either. The morning is flat, and the afternoon brings a bigger 3ft swell from the SSE, energy jumping to 320, which is moderate to strong. But it’s a cross-onshore wind, making it a messy, bumpy shore break. A 3ft wave with that much energy and onshore wind is just a washing machine for a beginner spot like this.
And that’s your lot for the whole 16 days. Honestly, this setup is so poor, with onshore winds and tiny swell most of the time, if you see a bit of bump and a stiff breeze, it’s probably more interesting for the kite crew than a bloke on a paddle board. Keep the gear in the garage, save the gas money. Forecasts can change, but right now, it's looking grim.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 5°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Fri night, near gales from the NW by Sun morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed night, min 6°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, fresh winds from the NW by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | NE 5 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | NNE 5 | NE 8 | NE 10 | E 14 | SSE 14 | SE 13 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | E 13 | SSE 17 | N 4 | NE 5 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 54 | 53 | 24 | 15 | 78 | 42 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 17 | 28 | 26 | 61 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 11:12AM2.23m | 11:37PM2.10m | 12:01PM2.19m | 00:24AM2.07m | 12:51PM2.17m | 1:12AM2.05m | 1:40PM2.16m | 2:01AM2.04m | 2:27PM2.16m | 2:47AM2.06m | 3:12PM2.17m | 3:31AM2.08m | 3:54PM2.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:34PM0.79m | 5:45AM0.76m | 6:25PM0.80m | 6:29AM0.77m | 7:12PM0.80m | 7:14AM0.76m | 7:56PM0.77m | 8:01AM0.72m | 8:39PM0.73m | 8:50AM0.66m | 9:23PM0.67m | 9:39AM0.60m | 10:07PM0.61m | ||||||||
7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | |
— | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 7 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | SSE 10 | E 14 | NE 8 | NE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 14 | SE 13 | NE 4 | SSE 9 | E 14 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | S 16 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 |
18 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 53 | 24 | 13 | 78 | 42 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 21 | 28 | 26 | 25 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | E 15 | SE 10 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | SSE 10 | E 14 | SE 9 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 |
7 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | S 15 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | S 19 | SE 9 | NE 10 | NE 7 | — | E 8 | E 14 | S 16 | S 15 | S 8 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | E 10 | — |
3 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 2 | — | 1 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 16 | 2 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 2 | NE 3 | — | N 3 | N 4 | NNE 5 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | W 3 | — | — | NNW 3 | N 3 | WNW 4 | NNW 4 | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | N 4 | N 4 | N 4 | NE 5 |
1 | 7 | — | 5 | 23 | 54 | 15 | 24 | 2 | — | — | 4 | 4 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 23 | 61 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 31 | 31 | 22 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 260 | 166 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 133 | 4 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 52 |
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.











