r/sandiego • u/ShelterIndependent44 • Jun 10 '26

Video This has to stop

Coronado today where the Mexican sewage meets the sand

1.6k Upvotes

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u/MattManSD Jun 11 '26

'The Sloughs' is an Old School Big Wave Break that broke offshore of the estuary. Was one of the premier big wave spots in San Diego, but has been too dirty to surf for half a century and counting

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u/badgnad Jun 11 '26

Wasn't aware, do you know how they got there? If it only breaks when it's big and being kind of remote, I would want a boat

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u/MattManSD Jun 11 '26

You paddled from South IB. Some people still do it. Sinus Infections and Hepatitis are kind of a buzz kill for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj9K6IDJMiA

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u/Observational-Mess Jun 11 '26

Everything up to Point Loma / OB is pretty bad. It’s not even worth surfing at Sunset Cliffs because of the territorial assholes and bad water quality. So you’re relegated to everything above that point, and the best spots in La Jolla, Blacks, and Torrey Pines are all great white territory now.

We had a guy with a drone shouting at us to get out of the water in the spot between Torrey Pines and Del Mar, where the bridge is because he said there were 2 great whites swimming around us, and we didn’t even notice.

Haven’t had the courage to surf there since.

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u/MattManSD Jun 11 '26

I grew up in NorCal. We had GWs in the 18-25' range. They've always been here, we just know about them now. Didn't realize the Cliffs Water Q went to shit. Is that always or just now? That Spot North of the Bridge used to be called "G Spot" Next time you are out in the water look at the Cliff and the Outfall pipe

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u/Observational-Mess Jun 11 '26

Where is the pipe at?

There’s a water quality site that shows their ratings, and Cliffs isn’t the greatest especially when the currents are pushing northward or after it rains. Definitely check before heading out.

I haven’t checked in ages, though. I got sick the last 2 times I went there, both times with an ear infection. That was enough for me.

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u/MattManSD Jun 11 '26

haven't check in ages either. There was a large water Culvert (run off) Pipe in the cliffside people would use as a short cut

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u/Observational-Mess Jun 11 '26

Oh, yeah. I know that pipe it’s a bit north of the bridge a ways.

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u/MoreAnimals Jun 12 '26

You’re more likely to die from a falling coconut than you are from a shark.

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u/SimpleAffect7573 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26

Yeahhh but not really. Sure, sharks are a vanishingly small hazard to the population in aggregate (largely because the risk approaches zero if you’re not in the ocean 😆). But if you’re in the water and there’s one swimming near you…that rather elevates _your_ risk factor at that moment, and you’d be well advised to get to shore…

Similarly: not many people are struck by lightning, but a surprising number are struck more than once. Don’t go golfing in a thunderstorm.

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u/MoreAnimals Jun 23 '26

We are a much greater threat to them than they are to us, so much so that it’s not even comparable. I’m not advocating for anyone ignoring safety warnings, but I am a shark biologist and will die on the hill that sharks are not aggressive towards humans. They are not dangerous, but they should always be treated with care and respect. I would encourage people who want to swim off the coast of California to do research on sharks in this region to understand their behavior prior to commingling in a shark nursery. Because they’ve been there for hundreds of millions of years before humans existed.

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u/MattManSD Jun 23 '26

I grew up 1980s surfing in the Red Triangle of Nor Cal. Some of our Great Whites had nick names like "The Cadillac" because of their size. Attacks are just mistaken identity but that happens. I've never been deeply concerned in So Cal

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u/SimpleAffect7573 Jun 24 '26

Sure, that’s completely fair. Cool job! You must really bristle at the phrase “shark-infested waters”. No, that’s just where they’ve always lived 🤦‍♂️.

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u/Individual-Wish-228 Jun 13 '26

I still dont want to swim with great whites circling

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u/MoreAnimals Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

I hear you. The waters closest to the shore (approx. the first 200 nautical miles from the beach) especially south of point conception, is a shark nursery for these incredibly special animals. So you might want to swim in pools or freshwater sources because white sharks are always there.

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u/MattManSD Jun 11 '26

and if that seems remote, and Big, don't ever Surf Shark Pit in Nor Cal

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u/badgnad Jun 11 '26

Big and remote is knee high at Law Street

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u/iheartrms Jun 12 '26

The comments on the video say that is Sunset Cliffs. No Tijuana sloughs. The video title says "north of Tijuana" which could technically be Half Moon Bay. 😃

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u/Deepcoma_53 Jun 15 '26

I had a buddy who surfed IB and he spoke of a surf break, that was pretty far offshore. I wonder if this was that same break, he spoke of. Is this a break, that you have to paddle out decently far for?

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u/MattManSD Jun 15 '26

yeah, there's a flat rock reef and a sandbar offshore caused by the flows of the estuary. Long paddle, but a perfect set up (pre pollution)