Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the menu for Tijuana Sloughs over the next couple of weeks.

The overall pattern is a bit of a slow burn. We’ve got a long stretch of small, messy surf kicking things off, with the real energy building up slowly and peaking in the second week. It’s not going to be a classic, but there are a couple of windows worth watching.

The first several days are a write-off, honestly. From Wednesday the 15th right through the weekend of the 19th, we’re looking at tiny waves with poor conditions. The water is sitting at 70°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The wind is mostly cross or cross-on, and the swell is weak and short-period. It’s just not doing anything for us.

Things start to get a little more interesting around Monday the 20th, but it’s still marginal. The energy is building, but the wind is still onshore or cross-on, keeping things choppy. The real turning point looks like Wednesday the 22nd. By the afternoon, we’ve got a 4ft swell from the S with a 14-second period, which is a nice groundswell. The wind is light and cross-on, and the combined energy is ramping up to 1110. It’s not perfect, but it’s the first time we’ve seen something rideable.

The standout period, and the one I’d circle on your calendar, is around Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th. On Thursday afternoon, we’re looking at 6ft of S swell at 13 seconds. That’s a solid, powerful wave. The combined energy is hitting 1403, which is serious. However, the wind is onshore, so it will be a bit lumpy. This is expert territory at that size. Friday the 24th keeps the size up around 6ft-6ft from the S, with the same 13-second period, but the wind turns cross-on from the NW. It’s still a powerful swell (energy at 1560), but you’ll be dealing with a cross-chop.

If you’re looking for the cleanest option in that window, keep an eye on Saturday the 25th afternoon. The swell drops a touch to 5ft from the SSW, period at 12 seconds, but the wind goes light and onshore from the W. That’s light wind, often glassy, which will make for much cleaner faces. The combined energy is still a solid 1089. It’s still a big wave, but the conditions will be better.

The last few days of the month settle back down. Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th have smaller, longer-period swells (3ft-4ft, 18-19 seconds) with light winds, which could be fun for a point or reef setup, but at a river break like this, that long period can make it break a bit straight. The energy is still moderate.

So, the best on offer is definitely the 6ft S swell on Thursday the 23rd and the cleaner 5ft swell on Saturday the 25th. The bigger day is for the experienced crew only, while Saturday offers a bit more quality for the effort. The rest of the window is a lot of waiting for something to happen.

Stay stoked, and don't force it if it's not there.

Rusty.

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