Spearfishing in Agadir — season, water temperature and where the rock is

Agadir is a city where arrivals think they are heading south and therefore expect warm water. Then they get in and discover it is the exact opposite. This piece is about that discovery, and about not paying for it on the first day.

The cold water, and why

The Canary Current runs down this coast from north to south and brings cold water up from the deep to the surface with it. That phenomenon, upwelling, is what makes the sea off Agadir so rich in fish, and it is the same thing that makes it colder than the sea at Tangier sometimes, even though Agadir is far further south.

The numbers that concern you:

• The water generally stays between 18 and 21 degrees across the year.
• The warmest point is around mid-September: 20 to 22 degrees.
• The coldest is in late February: 16 to 19 degrees.

So the gap between summer and winter is small compared with the Mediterranean, but the ceiling is low. Do not put on a 3 mm because it is thirty degrees ashore. A 5 mm is the rule in Agadir for most of the year, and less is only advisable in September and October, and only for those who can take it. The wetsuit page explains the difference, and the day's water temperature is on the spot page.

The season runs the other way

This is the second thing that catches out people coming from the north.

In the Mediterranean, winter is rough and summer is calm. At Agadir it looks similar on the surface but the cause is different and the range is wider: Atlantic swell is stronger and more consistent from autumn through spring, roughly October to April. That is exactly what makes Taghazout a world surfing destination in those months, and what makes it unhuntable for most of them.

The spearfisher's real season is summer and early autumn: June to October, peaking in August and September, when the warmest water meets the smallest swell.

Where the rock is

Agadir bay itself is a long sand beach. The town beach and the port are not hunting ground, and the approaches to the port are forbidden in any case.

The rock is all north of the city. Anza just past the port, then the rocky coast running north towards Taghazout and beyond: stone points, rock bottom and small coves between the beaches. The further north you go, the fewer people and the more rock.

To the south the coast changes towards Sidi Ifni: different rock, deeper water close in, and a longer drive.

From the shore

• The longshore current is strong here on swell days. It carries you along the beach without your noticing. Take a mark ashore and check it every few minutes.
• The float and the dive flag are essential: there is a lot of inshore fishing in this water.
• Fresh water to rinse the gear. Atlantic salt and sand eat bands and wetsuit zips quickly.

The fish

Agadir is meagre country, which makes this coast a destination in its own right, and European seabass country too, which likes the white churned water at the edge of the rock. This is Atlantic hunting at its most characteristic.

On the stone: white seabream, zebra seabream and two-banded seabream, red porgy and gilthead seabream, common dentex in open water above the bottom, and common octopus in the stone.

Passing through: greater amberjack, leerfish and bluefish in season.

Each page gives the legal size, the identification and the approach. The minimum sizes table is read before the shot, not after it.

Closed areas

Agadir port is one of the largest in Morocco, and its approaches and channels are forbidden without discussion. So are supervised beaches in season, military areas and the surroundings of installations, and farm concessions. The administration may also close areas or species by an order during the year. The list and the detail are on the regulations page, and the protected species in their own section.

The permit

The maritime fisheries delegation in Agadir issues the permit for this district. The procedure and the documents are in the permit guide. Do it before the season: September is not the month you want to spend at a counter.

Before you get in

Open the sea conditions page for Agadir: swell height and period, wind, visibility, water temperature, tide times and a seven-day forecast. And if Agadir is shut, look at Taghazout and Sidi Ifni before writing the day off.

In short

Agadir gives real Atlantic fish to anyone who respects three things: the right wetsuit, because the water is colder than it looks; reading the swell by its period and not only its height; and a known exit before getting in. Plan your day in August or September and this coast gives the best of itself.