Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming our way.

Honestly, looking at the next 16 days, it's a pretty grim stretch for Tijuana Sloughs. We're stuck in a pattern of marginal surf and questionable conditions for the first week and a half, with a lot of cross-onshore or onshore winds messing with the texture. There's no real standout session that's gonna get your heart pounding.

Things kick off on Thursday, 23 July. The afternoon is clear with a light breeze from the WNW, but it's onshore and the swell is a modest 4 ft from the south. The water's sitting at 72 °F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—a solid 5 °F above average. That's a pretty unusual anomaly for July.

Moving into Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th, the wave heights drop even further, around 2 ft to 3 ft. The winds are light but still onshore or cross-onshore, so don't expect anything clean. The combined swell energy is moderate at best.

Sunday the 26th brings some rain showers with a cross-onshore breeze, and wave heights climb back to about 4 ft. The swell period is long, around 18 to 19 seconds, which suggests some energy, but the wind is making it choppy.

The next week, Monday the 27th through Wednesday the 30th, sees a slight bump in size to 4 ft to 5 ft, but again, the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore. The swell direction swings from SW to SSW, and the period drops from 18 seconds down to 15 seconds. The combined swell energy hits some decent moderate numbers, but it's just not coming together with clean conditions.

The best window, if you can call it that, looks to be around Thursday, 31 July and Saturday, 1 August. On Thursday morning, the swell jumps to 6 ft from the south with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is strong. Friday sees 7 ft from the south, but again, the wind is onshore and the conditions are described as "marginal." This is getting into the size range for more experienced surfers, but the quality just isn't there.

By Saturday, 1 August, we've got a 7 ft south swell with a 13-second period. The wind is light and cross-onshore in the morning, turning onshore in the afternoon. For a river mouth, this long-period south swell might break a bit straight, but it could offer some power if you're desperate. Honestly, with the persistent onshore/cross-onshore winds, this setup looks a lot more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After the 2nd of August, it all fades away into poor surf conditions with tiny waves, dropping to 2 ft to 3 ft. The combined energy crashes. The last two weeks of the forecast are a total bust.

So, there's no standout. It's a long stretch of mediocrity. The only slight glimmer is the slightly bigger, stronger south swell on the 31st and 1st, but you're chasing wind-affected waves at a river mouth.

Stay patient, the forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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