Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve got to be straight with you – this 16-day stretch for Tijuana Sloughs is a tough one. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there, but the waves just aren’t playing ball. The whole run is a series of small, weak swells – think knee-high at best – and with onshore or cross-onshore winds most of the time, it’s messy. The combined swell energy stays in the moderate range, mostly between 145 and 525, but that’s wasted on such small surf. There’s no real standout; it’s all pretty grim for a paddle.

We start on Monday, August 3rd, with a 2 ft SW swell, 13-second period, and onshore wind. The energy is weak (228). It’s poor. Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are the same story: 2 ft to 2 ft, onshore breeze, and poor conditions. Thursday the 6th is a bit of a mess – a cross-onshore wind chops up that tiny 2 ft SW swell (145 to 255 energy). Friday the 7th brings the longest-period swell of the whole outlook – 19 seconds from the SSW – but it’s only 2 ft to 2 ft, and the cross-onshore wind spoils it (473 energy). That long period would be best at a point or reef, but here it’s just a dribbly mess.

Saturday, August 8th, is the one day that gets a “marginal” tag. The swell bumps up to 3 ft from the SSW, 16-second period, and the energy jumps to 517 (strong). But the morning has a cross-onshore wind that makes it choppy. The afternoon goes onshore again. Still, if you’re desperate, that afternoon might have a few crumbly lines. Sunday the 9th slides back to poor – 3 ft, cross-onshore, energy dropping to 373.

The second week is more of the same. Monday the 10th has a cross-shore wind and a 3 ft SSW swell (405 energy) – still poor. Tuesday the 11th drops to 1 ft, then 2 ft, with light cross-onshore winds. The energy is all over the shop (281 to 400). Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th hang around 2 ft to 3 ft, onshore or cross-onshore winds, with energy between 334 and 525 – but it’s all poor. The long-period swells (17-18 seconds) are wasted. The last few days, from Saturday, August 15th, to Tuesday the 18th, are exactly the same: tiny SSW and SW swells (2 ft to 3 ft), onshore or cross-onshore winds, energy from 288 to 516 – all poor, with only one “marginal” tag on Sunday the 16th morning.

Bottom line: Tijuana Sloughs is an exposed river mouth that needs a proper WSW swell to fire. This run gives us nothing but weak, small, wind-affected dribble. It’s not worth paddling out for. The only positive is that it’s consistent – it tends not to stay this poor forever. Check back next week. For now, leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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