Surf Forecasts:
Taylors Mistake surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, ENE swell with 372 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period with ENE 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 28) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 4s is also forecast. 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 1.7m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taylors Mistake over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be honest, it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead. We’re looking at a long, quiet run with very little to get excited about. The first real sniff of anything surfable doesn’t even show up until the final days of the month, and even then it’s nothing to write home about.
For Taylors Mistake, the pattern is clear: small, weak, and mostly messy. The water’s sitting at 51° here, which is a touch warmer than we’d usually expect for this time of year, so you’ll be comfortable in a spring suit.
Starting off Thursday the 27th, it’s a non-starter. We’ve got a tiny 1 ft swell from the SSE with a 17-second period – that’s groundswell, but it’s so small and the easterly wind is blowing 16 mph onshore, making it a complete write-off. The energy is weak (129). Friday the 28th sees a bump in height to 5 ft from the ENE, but the period is a short 8 seconds and it’s cross-onshore and choppy. The afternoon cleans up a bit with a cross-off breeze, but the 4 ft is still from a short-period swell (219). Forget it.
Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are tiny – under 2 ft – with very weak energy (53 and 25). The wind is okay, but there’s no real wave to ride. The whole thing just fizzles out.
We then hit a massive gap of nearly a week with nothing. The next time we see anything with a score of 1 out of 10 is on Monday the 31st of August. It’s a tiny 1.0 ft SSE swell with a 12-second period, and the wind is light offshore from the west at 3 mph. The energy is still very weak (54), and it’s described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we get for a while.
From there, it’s more of the same. Tuesday the 1st of September to Thursday the 3rd is all tiny, weak, and cross-onshore. Friday the 4th of September is glassy in the morning, but the swell is a pathetic 0.3 ft with energy of just 2 – it’s basically a lake.
We get a bit of a blip on Saturday the 5th of September. A 5 ft swell from the NNE shows up, but the period is a short 5 seconds, so it’s going to be pretty weak and lumpy (106). The morning has a clean cross-off breeze, but the short period means it’ll lack any real push. The afternoon sees a cleaner offshore wind, but the swell drops to 2 ft.
Then it’s back to the tiny stuff again. The next time we see a 1 out of 10 is on Thursday the 10th of September. There’s a 3 ft ENE swell with an 8-second period. The morning wind is light and cross-off from the WSW, so it’ll be clean. The energy is moderate (150). It’s ordinary, but it’s the closest thing to a session we’ve had in ages. The following day, Friday the 11th, is another 2 ft blip with a 10-second period and light cross-off winds, but the energy is weak (70).
Honestly, there are no standouts here. The best option, if you’re desperate, is the morning of Thursday the 10th of September. The 3 ft ENE swell with a clean, light cross-off breeze will be the most rideable we see. But it’s not a standout by any stretch.
On the bright side, several of these intervals are clean, and the forecasts can always change. It’s a quiet period, but it’s not abnormal for the area to have these blank runs. Keep an eye on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 6°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Thu afternoon, calm by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 5°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Mon night, calm by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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 17 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 17 | NE 10 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
100 | 94 | 153 | 334 | 202 | 67 | 26 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 47 | 69 | 115 | 15 | 172 | 69 | 33 | 29 | 28 | 11 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | off | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:54PM2.19m | 4:13AM2.11m | 4:35PM2.22m | 4:55AM2.13m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:39AM0.60m | 10:07PM0.61m | 10:24AM0.54m | 10:51PM0.55m | 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 | |||||||
7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | |
— | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | |
mm | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 8 | -1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | N 4 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 17 | N 3 | SE 13 | SE 12 | NE 4 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ENE 4 |
100 | 94 | 30 | 23 | 202 | 67 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 47 | 69 | 115 | 1 | 172 | 69 | 6 | 29 | 28 | 2 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | — | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | ENE 8 | ESE 13 | NE 3 | SE 12 | S 16 | SE 4 | E 7 | E 9 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 11 | ENE 4 | E 10 | SSE 10 |
13 | 13 | 5 | — | 13 | 12 | 26 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 16 | — | SE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | SSE 10 | SE 12 | S 16 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | E 12 | NE 9 | NE 10 | — | — | SE 16 | E 10 | E 14 | SE 13 |
— | — | 5 | — | 8 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 | — | — | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | NNW 3 | N 3 | W 3 | — | — | N 3 | NW 4 | SW 4 | NNW 2 | NW 4 | S 15 | — | — | — | NNW 2 | N 4 | NNW 4 |
14 | 93 | 153 | 334 | 9 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 16 | 118 | — | — | — | 1 | 24 | 8 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 264 | 52 | 151 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 162 | 269 | 4 | 31 | 4 | 36 | 162 | 31 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











