Taylors Mistake Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Canterbury, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 12 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Photo by: Tony Crossed

Taylors Mistake Surf Guide

Taylors Mistake in Kaikoura is a fairly exposed beach break that has reasonably consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the west. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the ideal swell direction is from the east northeast. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Good surf at all stages of the tide. When the surf is up, it can get quite busy in the water. Take care of rips and rocks.

Taylors Mistake Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Beach	2
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent	64°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Taylors Mistake:

The best conditions reported for surf at Taylors Mistake occur when a East-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Taylors Mistake (for consistent clean waves)?

julyBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Taylors Mistake with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 8% of the time in July while 9% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 83% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

83%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Taylors Mistake Location Map

Interactive Taylors Mistake surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Taylors Mistake is Christchurch International Airport (CHC) in New Zealand, which is 23 km (14 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Taylors Mistake is Timaru Airport (TIU), also in New Zealand, 148 km (92 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (ft)
Live Wind Speed (mph)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (ft)
Wind Speed (mph)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Taylors Mistake Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 6 April 2025, 04:12 Local Time

m, °C	Sunday 06
ft, °F	4AM	7AM	10AM	1PM
Wave (ft)	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE
Period (s)	9	9	9	8
Wind (mph)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	glass	glass

What does Taylors Mistake look like?

Latest photos from Taylors Mistake. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Chris McLean Credit: Tony Crossed Credit: Tony Crossed

Tides at Taylors Mistake

Current tide and informaton

For Lyttelton, New Zealand, 6 miles from Taylors Mistake.

Next High Water: 12:23pm | 7ft

Next Low Water: 06:18am | 2ft

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Taylors Mistake Sea Temperature

The Taylors Mistake water temperature is reasonably warm (18.0 °C) and the air temperature will similar (windchill forecast 16.0 °C). A good quality summer wetsuit would be ideal.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 64°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite