Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty.

Let's be honest with each other. Looking at Tijuana Sloughs over the next couple of weeks, it's a real mixed bag. The setup is a river mouth, which can be fickle at the best of times, but she's exposed and can handle a decent amount of swell. The water temp feels about what you'd expect for the start of this run.

We kick things off on Saturday the 22nd. The morning has a tiny bit of life with a 0.4 m swell from the SW at a very long 18 seconds, but it's marginal at best. The combined energy is weak (229). By the afternoon it gets a little bigger to 0.8 m, but the wind goes cross-onshore and it just looks poor. Not worth paddling out for.

Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th are pretty much write-offs. The swell stays below 1.0 m with poor wind conditions and the forecasts are just poor. Don't bother.

We get a bit of a lift through the middle of the week. Tuesday the 25th shows some 0.7 m swell in the morning with a light onshore breeze, but it’s still rated as marginal. The energy is starting to build though, hitting 414 on the morning session. Wednesday the 26th is a bit more interesting. The swell builds during the day, reaching 2 m from the SSW by the afternoon. That’s decent size, but at 14 seconds it’s a shorter period, and the combined energy is strong (1456). The wind is still a light cross-onshore though, which is a real bummer. It'll have some push but won't be clean.

Things stay on the small side and marginal through the end of August. The following weekend (Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th) offers waist-high sets around 1.0 m to 1 m from the SSW, but again the onshore or cross-onshore wind messes with the quality. The energy is moderate, between 620 and 838.

Now, looking into early September. Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd have some slightly bigger swell, around 1 m to 2 m from the WNW, but with a short period of just 9 seconds. That's windswell, not groundswell, and it's not going to wrap in nicely. The energy is moderate. It’s still marginal.

The true standout, and the only real option I see, is Thursday the 3rd of September. The afternoon session is the best on offer. We get a 0.9 m swell from the SW, but the period jumps to a very long 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy is strong at 1008. The wind is light and onshore (onshore from the W), but the forecast doesn't call it poor, just marginal. For a river mouth, that long period will make it fat and lined up, but it might break too straight. If you can find a shoulder, it could be a real gem. The morning of the 4th is also promising with 1 m from the SW at 18 seconds and strong energy (1264), still with light onshore wind.

The very last day, Sunday the 6th of September, shows a 2 m swell from the S at 14 seconds, with very strong energy (2085). That’s a big lump of water. But the forecast is still marginal and with that short period, it’s going to be a mess of a closeout. Only for the experts, if anyone at all.

Overall, it’s a slow start and a long wait. The best bet is to keep an eye on that Thursday, the 3rd of September , with the long period groundswell. Everything else is a gamble with the onshore wind.

Rusty.

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