Baja California’s Health Secretariat declared three Tijuana beaches unsafe for swimming after pre-Holy Week water testing found contamination levels exceeding federal limits. San Antonio del Mar, Baja Malibú, and Playa Blanca all failed tests conducted between Feb. 10 and March 10 by COEPRIS (the state commission for health risk prevention), the agency responsible for monitoring beach water quality across the peninsula.
23 of 26 Baja California Beaches Passed Testing
State health officials tested 26 beaches in total. The remaining 23 met Mexico’s official safety standard of fewer than 200 contaminant particles per 100 milliliters of water. Safe beaches were confirmed in San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez, Playas de Rosarito, Ensenada, and San Quintín, as well as other Tijuana locations not named among the three failures.
The three contaminated beaches sit along Tijuana’s southern coastline, well south of the Playas de Tijuana boardwalk area near the U.S. border. San Antonio del Mar and Baja Malibú are residential beach communities located roughly 15 to 20 miles south of the San Ysidro border crossing along the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road (Highway 1D). Playa Blanca lies between them.
Chronic Sewage Problems Along the Tijuana Coast
Tijuana’s beach contamination is a recurring problem tied to aging sewage infrastructure. A wastewater treatment facility about five miles south of the city routinely releases undertreated effluent into the Pacific, and ocean currents carry bacteria north along the coast. In April 2024, seven Tijuana beaches were shut down entirely during Holy Week after federal health officials at COFEPRIS (Mexico’s federal health risk commission) ordered closures for public safety. Last year’s closures were far more sweeping than this year’s three-beach warning.
Also in April 2025, Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz urged residents to avoid swimming at the city’s beaches altogether, citing persistently high pollution levels. City officials posted warning signs and restricted access at several points along the coast. The mayor’s warning came even as a red tide algae bloom appeared along the shoreline, compounding public health concerns.
The contamination also affects the U.S. side of the border. Imperial Beach in San Diego County has faced beach closures for more than three years due to cross-border sewage flows from the Tijuana River, and residents there have reported respiratory problems linked to airborne pollutants from the contaminated waterway.
Holy Week 2025 runs from April 13 to April 20. Swimmers heading to the coast during the holiday have safe options at beaches in Ensenada, Rosarito, San Felipe, and San Quintín, all of which passed the state’s water quality tests, according to La Jornada Baja California.