The best time to surf in Morocco
Swell, water temperature and desert heat for all twelve months
Morocco surfs all year. The complication is that the surf season and the comfortable desert season only partly overlap.
Winter brings the biggest, cleanest swell and the coldest desert nights. High summer brings small, easy learning waves and a Sahara that hits 45 °C. The sweet spots are the shoulders at either end of the year, when both halves of a combined trip work at once.
| Month | Surf | Air | Sea | Wetsuit | Sahara | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Powerful | 18–20 °C | 17–18 °C | 3/2 full | 18–22 °C day / 2–6 °C night | Good Best waves of the year. Pack for a cold desert night. |
| February | Powerful | 19–21 °C | 17–18 °C | 3/2 full | 20–24 °C day / 4–8 °C night | Good As January, with slightly kinder nights. |
| March | Consistent | 20–23 °C | 17–19 °C | 3/2 full | 24–28 °C day / 8–12 °C night | Excellent Valleys turn green and everything is comfortable. |
| April | Consistent | 21–24 °C | 17–19 °C | 3/2 full | 26–31 °C day / 10–15 °C night | Excellent Arguably the nicest all-round month. Easter books early. |
| May | Easing | 22–25 °C | 18–19 °C | 3/2 or shorty | 30–35 °C day / 14–18 °C night | Good Desert midday starting to get serious. |
| June | Small | 23–26 °C | 19–20 °C | Shorty | 34–40 °C day / 18–22 °C night | Fair Fine for learning, hard work inland. |
| July | Smallest | 26–30 °C | 20–22 °C | Shorty | 40–47 °C day / 22–27 °C night | Avoid The desert leg becomes endurance rather than pleasure. |
| August | Smallest | 27–31 °C | 21–22 °C | Shorty | 40–47 °C day / 22–27 °C night | Avoid Same, plus the busiest coast of the year. |
| September | Building | 26–29 °C | 21–22 °C | Shorty | 33–38 °C day / 18–22 °C night | Good Warmest water of the year, still hot inland. |
| October | Consistent | 24–28 °C | 20–21 °C | Shorty | 28–33 °C day / 13–18 °C night | Excellent The most balanced month of all. Books out first. |
| November | Strong | 21–25 °C | 20–21 °C | 3/2 full | 22–27 °C day / 8–13 °C night | Excellent Real swell, comfortable desert, fewer people. |
| December | Powerful | 19–21 °C | 18–19 °C | 3/2 full | 18–22 °C day / 3–7 °C night | Good Cold nights, excellent waves, book far ahead. |
Temperatures are typical ranges for planning rather than forecasts. Also check the dates of Ramadan and the two Eid holidays for your year — trips run normally, but town rhythms change and roads are busy around Eid.
The water is colder than the latitude suggests
This surprises almost everyone
Morocco sits at roughly the same latitude as the Canary Islands and southern Florida, and the sea is nothing like Florida's. A cold current runs south down this coast, and seasonal winds push surface water offshore, drawing colder water up from below.
The result is an Atlantic that sits around 17–19 °C through winter and spring and reaches only about 21–22 °C at the end of summer. It also explains why the air can be 28 °C and the sea still bracing.
| Period | Sea temperature | What to wear | Comfortable session |
|---|---|---|---|
| December – March | 17–18 °C | 3/2 mm full suit | 90 minutes before hands get clumsy |
| April – June | 17–19 °C | 3/2 mm full suit | 90–120 minutes |
| July – September | 20–22 °C | Shorty, or 3/2 if you feel the cold | Two hours or more |
| October – November | 20–21 °C | Shorty early, 3/2 by late November | Two hours |
Wetsuits are included by most camps, and a decent one keeps a range of thicknesses. Asking for a 4/3 in January is a legitimate request, not fussiness.
Timing the desert half
Two things nobody tells you to check
The moon phase changes the night
A full moon in a cloudless desert is bright enough to walk the dunes without a torch — and bright enough to wash out all but the strongest stars. A new moon does the opposite: the sky fills in, and from spring through early autumn the Milky Way core is plainly visible. Both are worth seeing, but they are not the same night. Check a moon calendar against your dates before you book.
Dry air holds no heat
A 35 °C afternoon becomes a 10 °C night, and December and January nights approach freezing. The jacket you feel ridiculous packing for the Sahara is the item you will be most grateful for. There is nowhere out there to buy one.
Avoid July and August for the combination
The coast is pleasant and the learning waves are the easiest of the year. Inland is another matter: 40–47 °C turns the camel trek, the dune climb and the tent night into something you endure. Move the dates if you possibly can.
Keep reading
Everything else worth knowing before you book
Surf & Sahara
Four days learning to surf on the Atlantic, then over the High Atlas to sleep in the dunes of Erg Chebbi. 7 days, departs every Monday, from €615.
Learn to surf
How fast beginners actually progress, what a surf day involves, choosing an instructor ratio, and why this coast is one of the easiest places to start.
Surf Spots
Individual guides to sixteen surf spots between Agadir and Tamri, by level, swell direction, tide and crowd. Which suit beginners and which to avoid.
FAQ
Wetsuit thickness, water temperature, group sizes, solo travel, flights, visas, desert camps and what happens when the surf is flat.