Spearfishing in Dakhla: what to know before heading south

Dakhla is 1,200 km from Agadir by road, at the end of a forty-kilometre peninsula set between a lagoon and the Atlantic. Nobody passes through by chance: you go there. And what you find looks like nothing else on the Moroccan coast.

Two seas for one town

The lagoon, on the east side, is sheltered, shallow and often milky. It is kitesurf country, tides that uncover kilometres of sandbank, and a few bottom fish. For spearfishing it is not the main ground.

The ocean side, west of the peninsula, is a wild coast beaten by swell and wind, with rocky drop-offs and water that can be crystal clear when both calm down. That is where Dakhla's reputation was made.

The Sea conditions at Dakhla page rates the spot every 30 minutes and gives the seven-day forecast. Open it before loading the car, not after.

The wind, first

Southern Morocco lives under the trade winds. In Dakhla the wind is the figure that rules everything: it blows almost every afternoon, often hard, and raises a chop that closes the ocean side within an hour. The windows are in the morning, and the rare days when the wind drops are the ones people remember.

On the spot page, look at the wind and the chop before the swell. That is the order of priorities here.

Cold water, even in summer

The Canary Current runs along this coast and brings up cold water. Do not trust the latitude: the water at Dakhla is often cooler than at Agadir, and a 5 mm wetsuit is not excessive most of the year. The water temperature is on the spot page; check it before choosing the suit.

The fish

Dakhla is the land of the meagre, the great drum of the Atlantic, and of big sea bass. You also meet the amberjack and the leerfish, the bluefish, and the seabreams of the whole coast. The sheets give the legal size, the identification and the approach technique for each.

The authorisation, in Dakhla

The spearfishing authorisation is issued by the maritime fisheries delegation of the district where you dive. For Dakhla, that is the Dakhla delegation, even if you already hold a document elsewhere. The process and the file are in the authorisation guide. Plan it before the trip: counter delays are not those of Casablanca.

The zones to respect

Port, channels and the surroundings of installations, military areas, the lagoon's fish farms: nobody dives there. The South is also a region where zones can be closed by decree during the year; the delegation is the only one to know for sure. The list of zones is on the Regulations page.

Logistics matter as much as the sea

• Never alone. On this coast, a problem in the water is a problem with nobody around. The buddy is not advice, it is the condition.
• A flagged float, always, and a way to tell someone on land what time you will be back.
• Fresh water to rinse the gear is not everywhere; Dakhla's salt and sand ruin zips and rubber faster than elsewhere.
• The road: a long drive, few stations, no signal in places. A spare tyre in good shape is worth an extra speargun.

In short

Dakhla rewards those who prepare: the right wind window, the right wetsuit, the authorisation in the pocket, a buddy and a float. The rest the sea gives, and it gives generously on the days it is willing.