Surfing in Morocco in December

Conditions in December

Swell : 2.2 m
Period : 12.5 s
Water temp. : 18 °C
Wetsuit : 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
Air temp. : 22 °C
Sunshine hours per day : 7.2 h
Rain : 49 mm, 4 days
Workable wind : 57 %
Crowds : High
Prices : High

December keeps November's swell, 2.2 m at 12.5 seconds with wind workable seventeen days out of thirty, and pushes the weather trade one step further: 49 mm of rain across four days, the wettest month of the year, and 7.2 hours of sun a day, its lowest.

It is also where the grid narrows on levels. December is the only month of the year given to advanced and expert surfers on the main breaks: size and period together leave little margin on the points.

Water sits at 18 °C, air at 22 °C. Crowds and prices are high, with a spike from 20 December to 10 January during which camp rates climb noticeably.

Learning in December

For learning : Good

This is the month that asks for the most judgement, which is exactly why it is not closed. A beginner coming in December does not surf the points, and does not need to: Devil's Rock is sheltered sand, Imsouane bay is long and slow at any size, and Banana Beach works on the days the swell stays within what a sandbar holds. What matters more than the spot in December is the camp: the one that decides each morning where to take its group, rather than the one with a fixed slot.

Where a beginner goes in December

These spots are reachable all year. What the month changes is the size of the waves, not the access.

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Excellent

December and January compete for the top, and December has a quiet edge: Killer Point records its cleanest conditions here. Anchor Point, Boilers and La Source cover the rest, and at 2.2 m and 12.5 seconds the problem is never finding a wave but finding one your size.

Advanced
Expert

Spots that suit December

Where to base yourself

Taghazout

Camps in the region

Ten sheets taken from the operators' own sites, published prices included.

How December compares

All twelve months, side by side

Where these figures come from

Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.