Where to spearfish in Morocco: the coast, region by region

There is no single best spot in Morocco. There is a 3,500 km coast that changes character four times, and on any given day one of the four regions is almost always diveable while the others are closed. Knowing which one is worth more than a list of names.

Every place below opens its conditions page: the sea state right now and the forecast for seven days. That page answers the only question that matters on the day.

The Mediterranean, from Saïdia to Tangier

The most sheltered coast in the country. No ocean swell: when the Atlantic is shut by a low, this is often where things happen. The water is usually clearer, the coast rockier, the bottom closer to shore. The trade-off is wind: an easterly or a westerly quickly raises short chop that kills visibility within hours, and the fish see more divers.

Entry points: Saïdia, Nador, Al Hoceima, M’diq, Tangier. In between, Cala Iris, Jebha, Oued Laou and Martil are on the same list.

The North Atlantic, from Tangier to Casablanca

This is where the swell starts. Long sandy beaches alternate with rocky shelves and points that hold fish: a tidal coast, where the same point is a spot at low water and nothing at all three hours later. Visibility depends mostly on the swell of the previous days; a metre of short swell is enough to load the water with sand.

Entry points: Asilah, Larache, Mehdia, Mohammedia, Casablanca. Moulay Bousselham, Rabat, Temara, Skhirat, Bouznika and Dar Bouazza complete the list.

The Central Atlantic, from El Jadida to Essaouira

The coast of cliffs and wide rock shelves. More exposed, wilder, with access that has to be earned and cooler water. It is also the wind region: in Essaouira the afternoon belongs to the trade winds, and the window is in the morning. When the swell drops, it is one of the finest coasts in the country.

Entry points: El Jadida, Oualidia, Safi, Essaouira. Sidi Abed, Cap Beddouza and Souira Kdima lie in between; Sidi Kaouki is just south of Essaouira.

The South, from Imsouane to Dakhla

A thousand kilometres, from the Souss to the Sahara. To the north, the bay of Agadir and its headlands; south of Agadir, an increasingly empty coast, with places where you are alone in the world and logistics matter as much as the sea. The water cools as you go down, the wind strengthens, and the fish change: this is where people talk about meagre and big sea bass.

Entry points: Taghazout, Agadir, Sidi Ifni, Tan-Tan, Dakhla. Imsouane, Mirleft, Legzira, Tarfaya and Boujdour are on the list, among others.

What does not change from one region to the next

• the authorisation from the delegation of the port where you dive, explained here;
• the minimum sizes, in the legal sizes table, and the banned or closed species, on the regulations page;
• the forbidden zones: ports, channels, guarded beaches, military areas, fish farms;
• a flagged float and a buddy. An empty coast is not a reason to dive alone, it is the reason not to.