Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, giving you the lowdown on Tijuana Sloughs. First thing, the water’s a touch warmer than usual, sitting at 70°F, which is a nice little bonus for the session.

To be honest, the next week and a half is a grind. We’ve got a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions, so don’t expect much until we get closer to the end of the month. The first real action worth paddling for looks to start around the 25th of July.

Let’s run through it. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th are a write-off. Small swell, cross-shore winds, just choppy and messy. Not worth getting the board wet. Sunday the 19th sees a bit of a bump in size with 4ft to 5ft from the south, but it’s onshore wind and the wave state is unknown, so it’s a gamble.

That pattern holds through the middle of the week. Monday the 20th pushes up to 6ft in the afternoon from the SSW, but again, the wind is onshore and it’s tough to get excited about. The energy is solid – we’re seeing moderate to strong combined swell energy, but the quality just isn’t there.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. From the 25th of July onward, things start to look up. The mornings on the 25th, 26th, and 27th all have light onshore breeze with a building swell from the SSW and SW. The swell sizes are sitting around 4ft to 5ft, which is a good solid size for advanced surfers at Tijuana Sloughs. The energy is strong, these are groundswells with periods over 15 seconds, so the shape and power are there.

The standout for the whole forecast has to be Monday, the 27th of July into Tuesday the 28th. The swell is from the SW, which lines right up with the optimum direction for the Sloughs. We’re talking 5ft with light onshore wind and very strong wave energy. This is a river break, so that long-period SW groundswell is going to set up well. It’s consistent and a classic spot, but remember, this is an advanced break, and crowds are sometimes an issue – it’s well known.

The 29th and the last few days of July start to taper off, dropping back down to the 3ft to 4ft range with more cross-on winds, so that window from the 25th through the 28th is your best bet.

So, bottom line: a long, quiet start with nothing to chase until around July 25th. The real highlight is the 27th and 28th with that strong SW groundswell, light winds, and solid energy. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Rusty.

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