Starting spearfishing in Morocco: where to begin

You do not start spearfishing by buying a speargun. You start by getting comfortable in the water with a mask, fins and a float, then by understanding what the law allows, and finally by shooting a fish you can recognise. In that order. Here are the five steps, with the pages on this site that detail each one.

1. The paper before the water

In Morocco, spearfishing is practised under a special authorisation, issued by the maritime fisheries delegation of the port where you dive. The file contains a request, an identity document, photos, a fee, a medical certificate and insurance. The process is explained step by step in our guide to the authorisation.

Do not put it off: a check without the paper costs more than the paper.

2. The starter kit

You need fewer things than you think, and you need the right ones:

• a low-volume mask and a simple snorkel;
• long fins, plastic blades to begin with;
• a two-piece wetsuit: 5 mm in winter on the Atlantic, 3 mm in summer in the Mediterranean;
• a quick-release weight belt, weighted to float at the surface and sink at five metres, not before;
• a flagged float tied to you: the first thing to bring, and the only thing that makes you visible to a boat;
• a knife;
• a short speargun, 75 to 90 cm, single band. It is enough for everything a beginner should shoot.

Every piece has its sheet in the gear guide: what it is for, how to choose it, set it up, look after it, and the mistakes that cost.

3. The rules to know before the first outing

• breath-hold only, never with a tank;
• daylight, from sunrise to sunset;
• for your table, never for sale;
• a minimum size per species, and closed or forbidden species. The octopus has its biological rest periods, set each year on the advice of the INRH. The dusky grouper deserves more caution still: it is listed as vulnerable, it does not appear in the Moroccan size table, and its exact status is not known to us — all the more reason to let it swim;
• zones where nobody dives: ports and channels, guarded beaches, military areas, fish farms, protected areas.

The detail, with the texts and what remains to be checked, is on the Regulations page. Sizes are in the legal sizes table.

4. Safety, which is not negotiable

• never alone: one at the surface, one below, taking turns;
• never hyperventilate before a dive;
• short dives and long recoveries: the fish is not worth one more minute;
• the float always attached, the gun always pointed at the bottom when out of the water;
• the current: read the figure on the spot page before getting in. Beyond 0.8 m/s the drift becomes serious.

5. The first fish

Start with what lets itself be approached and is recognised without hesitation: the white seabream, the grey mullet, the gilthead seabream. Learn to identify them, to judge their size in the water, where the mask magnifies everything, and to shoot only what is well above the legal size.

Every species sheet gives identification, legal size, habitat, spawning season and approach technique. Read them before, not after.

6. Choosing the day

The sea decides. Open the conditions overview: all 51 spots in the country are rated every 30 minutes, and the best of the day stands out. For a beginner, an "Excellent" day at an ordinary spot beats a "Fair" day at a famous one. The map shows the same thing differently.

What comes next

A club. That is where you find a buddy, learn technique without getting hurt, and hear about closures before they are posted. The directory of clubs is being built; if yours exists, register it.