Tijuana Sloughs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Tijuana Sloughs. This is a classic river-mouth setup, and it’s an advanced wave that demands respect. It’s a consistent break, exposed to the swell, and it likes a good WSW direction.

Right now, the outlook is pretty grim for paddle surfing. The forecast kicks off with some weak, messy slop and poor conditions thanks to cross-onshore wind. On Thursday the 3rd, you’ve got a 3ft SW swell but with a lot of wind mixing it up. The combined energy is moderate at best (423), and the wave quality is poor. That continues into Friday, with the swell picking up a bit but still getting chewed up.

The week starts looking up over the weekend. Saturday the 5th afternoon sees the swell starting to build, hitting 5ft from the south with a period of 13 seconds. The energy jumps to strong (1274), but the rating is still marginal due to wind and tide issues. It’s not until Sunday the 6th that things get serious.

Sunday, the 6th, is the standout. The morning session is your best bet. We’ve got a 7ft SSW groundswell running on a long 14-second period. The energy is very strong (1567), and the wind? Dead flat. Glassy conditions. This is excellent for experienced surfers. That afternoon stays clean too, with a glassy 7ft S swell. This is the window to charge.

Monday the 7th still has the same 7ft swell, but the wind picks up and goes cross-onshore. It’s still big, but choppy. If you’re a die-hard, it’s doable, but it won’t be as clean as Sunday.

After Monday, the energy starts to drop quickly. By the middle of the second week, from around the 11th onwards, we’re looking at small swells mostly under 3ft with cross-onshore winds and poor surf conditions. There are long gaps of nothing worth paddling out for.

The water temperature is what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing unusual.

One thing to keep in mind – this is a river mouth. That long-period groundswell on Sunday, with periods of 14 seconds, can get a bit straight and fat on the sandbanks. The shape is better if the tide is right. Keep an eye on that.

The bottom line: If you’re an expert, get on the Sloughs Sunday morning. It’s the only real event in the whole 16-day window. Everything before is junk, and everything after is small and trashed.

Rusty.

Read more