Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a 16-day window at Tijuana Sloughs, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a slow burn. Nothing’s jumping out screaming perfection, but there’s a couple of windows where the pieces start to come together.

Overall, we’re looking at a persistent, but small, south-southwest swell. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing crazy there. The first few days are a write-off – the swell is tiny and the wind is mostly cross-onshore, making things messy. You’ll see a gap from today, Friday the 21st, right through the weekend with no real options. The surf is just not there.

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th remain poor, but the energy starts to creep up. By Tuesday afternoon, we’re seeing a 3ft S swell with a 13-second period and combined energy hitting 609 (moderate). The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not clean, but it’s a hint of what’s to come.

The first real standout window arrives on Wednesday the 26th afternoon. The swell builds to 5ft from the SSW, with a 13-second period and combined energy surging to 1121 (strong). The wind goes light and cross-shore. That’s glassy enough to get some clean lines. This is an advanced spot, and the cross-shore wind will be a major positive – it’s the best we’ll see for a few days. The combined energy is climbing, too, so there’s some grunt behind it.

Thursday the 27th holds similar swell, around 5-6ft from the SSW, but the wind picks up to a moderate breeze, making it a bit bumpy. Still, there’s wave energy there (1333 in the morning). Friday the 28th sees the swell drop a touch, but the light winds are back.

Now, the second week has a promising, but less certain, window. We’ve got a bit of a lull from the 30th of August through the 3rd of September, with marginal surf and small swells. But then, on Friday the 4th of September afternoon, the energy jumps big time. A 6ft S swell with a 15-second period, and the combined energy rockets to 1815 (strong). The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit textured, but that’s a long-period groundswell. With that period, it’ll be better shaped and have more push, but it might break a bit straight at the river mouth. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

Then Saturday the 5th of September morning is the biggest of the forecast. A 7ft S swell, 13-second period, and a massive 2013 combined energy. That’s strong, and it’s pushing into expert-only territory. The wind is light cross-onshore, which is the best we’ve got. This is the biggest, most powerful swell of the window, but it’s over 8ft, so it’s strictly for the experienced crew.

So, to sum it up: the standout is that Friday the 4th of September afternoon for the long-period groundswell and big energy, and Saturday the 5th of September morning for the sheer size. Wednesday the 26th afternoon is a solid warm-up. The rest of the time, it’s marginal. Tijuana Sloughs is a consistent spot, so it’ll turn on again, but this forecast is a patience game.

Rusty.

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