Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right now, Tijuana Sloughs is in a bit of a funk. The waves are there, but the quality just isn’t matching the potential. We’re looking at a stretch of small, weak surf with mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds messing with the surface. It’s a river mouth setup, so it needs a bit of order, and right now it’s just not getting it.

For the first part of the period, Tuesday the 15th through Thursday the 17th, it’s pretty grim. The swell is small, around 2ft, and the period is a long 15-16 seconds, which sounds good, but the energy is weak—combined energy readings are between 342 and 492 (moderate at best, but honestly on the lower end). The wind is cross-on from the southwest and west-northwest, so it’s choppy and messy. Nothing worth getting excited about.

Friday the 18th and the weekend (19th-20th) show a slight bump in size to 3ft-3ft, with the period stretching out to 18-19 seconds on Friday. That longer period does give it a bit more push, and the energy climbs into the 550-717 range (moderate). But the wind is still on it—onshore or cross-on—and the wave comment keeps saying “marginal” or “poor.” There’s a hint of something, but it’s not clean enough to call it a go.

The middle of next week, Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd, is the most promising of the run. Swell height pushes up to 4ft on Monday afternoon, with the period at 17 seconds and energy hitting 741 (moderate). Still, it’s onshore wind, so the surface is going to be lumpy. I’d say it’s the best of a bad bunch, but I wouldn’t be dragging anyone out of bed for it.

After that, it fades again. The 23rd through the 25th drops back to 3ft with shorter periods (13-15 seconds) and weaker energy (324-440). The 26th and 27th stay small, 3ft, with the period dropping to 12-13 seconds and the wind picking up from the northwest—choppy and messy.

Then, on the 28th, there’s a little pulse of 3ft but the period drops to 11-12 seconds, and it’s still poor. The last day in the window, the 30th, shows a jump to 5ft with a period of just 8 seconds—that’s windswell, short and weak, with energy at 645 (moderate). It’s going to be lumpy and jumbled, not the kind of thing that lights up a river mouth like this.

Honestly, the whole 16 days is a struggle. There’s no standout session. The best bet is probably Monday the 21st with that 4ft, 17-second swell, but even then, the wind is on it. The water temperature... well, there’s no anomaly noted, so it’s about average for this time of year. Nothing crazy there.

As for the crowd thing—this spot can get busy, and with conditions this marginal, you might have it more to yourself. But that’s not really a win when the surf is this poor.

I’d say sit this one out unless you’re dying for a paddle. The setup is more interesting for a kiteboarder right now than a surfer. The waves are small, the wind is cross-onshore, and the period is all over the place. It’s not looking like a classic stretch at all.

Keep an eye on that 30th, but with that 8-second period, it’s going to be a mushburger. We need a proper groundswell and some offshore wind to get this place firing. This isn’t it.

Rusty.

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