Sea temperature and swimming season in Tarfaya
The sea off Tarfaya is comfortable for swimming from April to December. It peaks at 21.3°C in October and drops to 18.0°C in February.
Month by month
Sea temperature, the air you climb out into, and the wind that decides how that feels.
| Month | Sea | Air | Wind | Feels | What to wear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18.5°C | 21.0°C | 4.9 m/s | Bracing | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| February | 18.0°C | 21.3°C | 5.7 m/s | Bracing | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| March | 18.0°C | 22.2°C | 6.7 m/s | Bracing | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| April | 19.0°C | 21.9°C | 7.7 m/s | Comfortable | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| May | 19.5°C | 23.1°C | 7.5 m/s | Comfortable | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| June | 20.0°C | 24.2°C | 7.4 m/s | Comfortable | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| July | 20.1°C | 25.8°C | 8.1 m/s | Comfortable | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| August | 20.5°C | 29.2°C | 6.6 m/s | Comfortable | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| September | 21.2°C | 26.7°C | 6.2 m/s | Comfortable | none, or a rash vest |
| October | 21.3°C | 25.4°C | 5.6 m/s | Comfortable | none, or a rash vest |
| November | 20.9°C | 25.8°C | 5.3 m/s | Comfortable | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
| December | 19.8°C | 21.7°C | 5.4 m/s | Comfortable | shorty, or nothing if you are acclimatised |
Air is the average daily maximum — roughly what you would meet swimming in the middle of the day. An arrow marks months where the air is colder than the sea.
When in the day can you swim?
Daylight and burn risk by month, in Africa/Casablanca local time.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Peak UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:44 | 19:18 | 10h 34m | 4.9 |
| February | 08:29 | 19:42 | 11h 13m | 6.8 |
| March | 07:01 | 19:00 | 11h 59m | 9.2 |
| April | 07:26 | 20:16 | 12h 50m | 11.3 |
| May | 07:02 | 20:34 | 13h 32m | 12.4 |
| June | 06:55 | 20:49 | 13h 54m | 12.8 |
| July | 07:05 | 20:50 | 13h 45m | 13.1 |
| August | 07:21 | 20:30 | 13h 08m | 12.7 |
| September | 07:36 | 19:56 | 12h 20m | 11.1 |
| October | 07:52 | 19:22 | 11h 31m | 8.4 |
| November | 08:13 | 18:59 | 10h 46m | 5.8 |
| December | 08:35 | 18:58 | 10h 23m | 4.5 |
Open water burns faster than a beach: the surface reflects sunlight up at you, and sunscreen washes off in the first few minutes. A long swim under a UV index above 6 needs a rash vest more than it needs more cream.
What the bands mean
| From | Description | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| above 26°C | Bath-like | Warm enough that it offers no cooling at all |
| above 22°C | Very comfortable | Swimwear, no time limit for most people |
| above 19°C | Comfortable | Pleasant once you are in; most people swim happily |
| above 16°C | Bracing | Swimmable but short; many prefer a shorty wetsuit |
| above 12°C | Cold | Wetsuit territory. Unprotected swims should be brief |
| below 12°C | Dangerous | Cold shock risk. Specialist gear and supervision |
Do you need a wetsuit in Tarfaya?
Some months, yes. The sea drops to 18.0°C in February. What thickness, month by month, for swimming and for surfing →
Other coastal cities in Morocco
Where these numbers come from, and what they miss
- Open water, not your beach. The measurement is a satellite cell about 28 km across, centred 20.8 km from Tarfaya. Shallow bays and lagoons run warmer; exposed coasts with upwelling run colder, sometimes by several degrees.
- Surface temperature. Below a few metres the sea is often noticeably colder, and in summer a warm surface layer can sit over much colder water.
- A six-year average, not a thirty-year normal. Sea temperature varies little between years, so this is close — but it is not a climate normal, and any individual year will differ.
- Averages hide storms. A monthly mean says nothing about the week a cold current arrives.