Which tide for spearfishing? Slack water, flood and spring tides

There is no universal "good tide". There are tides that suit one spot and not another, and a few rules that hold almost everywhere. Here they are, and how to use them on the Moroccan coast.

First, the size: Atlantic and Mediterranean

On the Atlantic, the tide is strong: two high waters and two low waters a day, with a range of the order of two to three metres at spring tides. It changes access, current and water from one hour to the next. In the Mediterranean, it is only a few tens of centimetres and decides almost nothing — except near the strait, where the Gibraltar current takes over. That is why in Tangier the hour decides more than the swell.

Slack water: the calmest moment

Slack water is the moment, around high or low water, when the water stops before turning the other way. The current is at its weakest. For most spearfishers it is the reference window: less drift, less effort to hold on a rock, and fish that often move just before or just after.

Flood or ebb

• The flood brings in water from offshore. On many coasts, it is what clears the edges after a spell of rough sea.
• The ebb empties bays, lagoons and river mouths. Where a river or a lagoon drains — Oualidia, the Atlantic estuaries — it carries cloudy water out to sea and ruins the visibility.

These are tendencies, not laws: a corner sheltered behind a point can behave the other way round. Note the tide every time the water was good; after a few outings, your spot will have taught you its rule.

High water or low water

On the Atlantic, the same point can be a spot at low water and nothing at all three hours later. Low water uncovers the reef flats and brings the drop-offs closer; high water fills the gullies and pools where fish come in to feed. Both can be hunted; they are simply not the same places.

Spring and neap tides

Around the full and new moon come spring tides: a big range and strong currents. Around the quarter moons, neap tides: a small range and longer slack water. For a beginner, or on a spot with current, neaps are easier.

And the swell?

For visibility, the swell of the previous days matters more than the tide. The tide picks the hour; the swell picks the day. A perfect slack in a big sea is still a bad outing.

Where to find the times

Every location in our sea conditions shows today's and tomorrow's tide times, the tide curve, springs or neaps, and the swell hour by hour. For example: Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier, Dakhla.