Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got cooking over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a tough start. We’re looking at a long stretch of pretty quiet, unexciting conditions. The swell is just not coming through with any punch for the first ten days or so. You’ll see small waves and a lot of cross-onshore or onshore wind, which messes up the surface. For a spot like Tijuana Sloughs (river), it’s an exposed river mouth that needs a decent push of swell from the southwest to really light up. We’ve got a lot of days where the combined swell energy is in the low to moderate hundreds (like 215 to 510), which is weak to middling at best. This place is known for being consistent, but even consistent spots can have flat spells.

From Wednesday the 19th through to the end of the first week, the waves are tiny—mostly 1ft to 3ft—and the wind is a constant cross or onshore. That’s not what you want. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are listed as marginal, but with that weak energy and small swell, it’s hard to get excited. The wind is mostly a light breeze, which is okay, but the swell direction from the SSW is not hitting the optimum for this break. The water temperature anomaly doesn't show anything wild, so it’s about average for the time of year around here.

Now, the good news. As we push into the second week, things start to wake up. The standout window looks to be around Saturday the 29th of August. That’s the best on offer. We get a jump in swell height up to 3ft to 4ft, with the combined swell energy climbing to 699 (moderate) and then up to 814 (strong) on the Saturday afternoon. That’s a noticeable uptick. The swell direction is from the SSW, which matches the optimum for this break. The period is a long 16 seconds, a proper groundswell. For a river mouth, that long period means the waves will have good shape and energy, though it can make the sets a little more spaced out. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 9 mph, which is a big positive—clean face, less bump. The morning will be the cleanest with offshore wind, but there’s a cross-on element by the afternoon that will introduce some chop. Still, this is the pick of the run.

If you’re an advanced surfer, that Saturday (29th) morning session at Tijuana Sloughs is the one to target. It’s not too big at 3ft, but with that long period it’ll have some push. The crowds can be an issue here sometimes, so get there early.

After that, Sunday the 30th holds onto similar 3ft swell but the period drops a bit, and the wind stays offshore, so it’s still worth a look. By Tuesday the 1st of September, we get a bump to 5ft from the WNW, but the period drops to a short 8 seconds, which is just windswell. That’s less appealing and could be a bit of a mess, especially on the afternoon.

For beginners—that Saturday is fine with the 3ft to 4ft range. It stays under the 5ft threshold, so it won’t be too intimidating. The long period means the waves will be smoother but with more water moving around.

So, to wrap it up: you’ve got a quiet first week that’s not worth the drive. Hang tight. The standout is Saturday the 29th of August at Tijuana Sloughs, with a nice groundswell and clean offshore wind in the morning. Forecasts this far out can always shift, but it’s the one with the most promise.

Stay stoked.
Rusty.

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