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Baja Malibu, Mexico

Stay in Rosarito: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Rosarito

Watch this spot We email you when Baja Malibu is worth the trip.

Rosarito Beach
Rosarito, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: cesar bojorquez from Tijuana, Mexico, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Baja Malibu

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (248°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (68°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 5 good days in 7; in March, April and May, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rosarito, 7.1 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 7 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Diego International Airport (SAN), direct.

    See flights MDW → SAN · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Baja Malibu.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in RosaritoAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Rosarito · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Rosarito · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Baja Malibu on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

Baja Malibu does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct593 ft14 scrumbling387kJ25°C
Mon 19Oct654 ft13 scrumbling432kJ22°C
Tue 20Oct594 ft9 ssoft193kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct503 ft11 ssoft234kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct493 ft12 scrumbling252kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct534 ft6 smushy109kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct423 ft6 smushy48kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct312 ft10 scrumbling79kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct232 ft11 scrumbling64kJ24°C
Tue 27Oct393 ft5 smushy37kJ25°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 55 min by road. About 7h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Rosarito Beach Pier Southside

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Rosarito Beach Pier Southside

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Baja Malibu

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Rosarito Beach Pier Southside

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Rosarito Beach Pier Southside

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 1 kn (3 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 55 min by road. About 7h door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Rosarito each day: Baja Malibu, Rosarito Beach Pier Southside.

The trip from Rosarito, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £695–£1,275 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£215–£445
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£70–£115
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£160–£265
Food7 days eating out£150–£280
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£695–£1,275

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Rosarito

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.