Short answer: you can surf Taghazout and Tamraght all twelve months. The prime swells run October to March — powerful North Atlantic groundswell lighting up the famous right-hand points, heaven for intermediate and advanced surfers. April to September is smaller, beginner-friendly and has the warmest water. The sweet spot is the shoulders: April–May and September–October, when there's still push in the ocean but the lineups and the prices calm down.
We live here year-round — our two houses sit in Tamraght, ten minutes south of Taghazout — so this is the guide we wish existed when guests message us asking "when should I come?" Here it is, month by month, with nothing dressed up.
Taghazout surf season, month by month
| Month | Swell | Water temp | Wetsuit | Crowds | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4–10 ft, consistent NW groundswell | 17°C | 3/2mm | High — peak season | Intermediates+ on the points |
| February | 4–10 ft, the most reliable month | 17°C | 3/2mm | High | Intermediates & advanced |
| March | 3–8 ft, still pumping, cleaner spells | 17–18°C | 3/2mm | Easing | Intermediates+, confident improvers |
| April | 3–6 ft, mellowing | 18°C | Springsuit | Quiet | Everyone — shoulder sweet spot |
| May | 2–5 ft, gentle and clean | 19°C | Springsuit | Quiet | Beginners & improvers |
| June | 2–4 ft, small, sunny, playful | 21°C | Springsuit or boardshorts | Quiet | Beginners & longboarders |
| July | 2–4 ft, morning glass | 22°C | Boardshorts | Moderate — summer holidays | Beginners |
| August | 2–4 ft, warmest water of the year | 22–23°C | Boardshorts | Moderate | Beginners & longboarders |
| September | 2–5 ft, first autumn pulses | 22°C | Springsuit | Quiet | Everyone — shoulder sweet spot |
| October | 3–8 ft, building fast | 20°C | 3/2mm | Building | Everyone — the locals' favourite month |
| November | 4–10 ft, the points wake up | 19°C | 3/2mm | Building | Intermediates+ |
| December | 4–12 ft, the biggest swells | 18°C | 3/2mm | High — holiday peak | Intermediates & advanced |
Two notes on reading that table honestly. Swell heights are what the exposed spots see on a normal week, not the record days. And the wetsuit column is a guide, not a rule — we keep 3/2 wetsuits in every size all year, so nobody has to pack one.
What "season" actually means here
Unlike Europe's Atlantic coast, Morocco never really turns off. The winter points — Anchor Point, Killers, Boilers — need the big NW swells to break properly, but the sandy beach breaks under Tamraght — Banana Point, Devil's Rock, Tamraght Beach — work on almost anything. That's why beginners progress here year-round while their friends sit out flat spells in Portugal. "Season" in Taghazout doesn't mean "when there are waves"; it means "which waves, and for whom."
Best months for beginners: April to September
If you've never surfed, or you're still working on your pop-up and your first green waves, come between April and September. The reasons are practical, not romantic:
- The waves are the right size. Waist-to-chest-high, sandy bottoms, long gentle walls. More takeoffs per session means faster progress — on a small June day you can catch twenty waves before lunch.
- The water is warmest. 21–23°C at the height of summer. By August most guests are in boardshorts, which makes three sessions a day feel easy rather than heroic.
- The lineups empty out. Banana Point on a July morning might be you, our coaches and the fishing boats. That space matters more to learning than any tip we can give you.
- Everything is walkable. The beach is fifteen minutes on foot from our houses, and the van still runs daily to whichever bank is working.
Most beginners book The Surf Reset — seven days, all meals, daily coaching and equipment included — because a full week is honestly what it takes to go from first lesson to riding green waves. If you're deciding between July and August, we wrote a separate honest piece on surfing Morocco in summer covering the morning wind windows and what actually breaks.
Best months for intermediates and up: October to March
This is the season the magazines write about, and it deserves the reputation. From October the North Atlantic storm machine switches on, and by November the points are doing what they're famous for: long, fast, right-hand walls peeling over rock for hundreds of metres. Anchor Point on a solid December swell is a wave you'll be describing to strangers for years. Killers holds the biggest days; Boilers is the heavy, fickle one; and when the swell goes huge, Imsouane — forty-five minutes up the coast — turns into the longest, friendliest wave in Morocco.
The honest caveats: the water drops to 17–19°C (a 3/2 is genuinely enough), the famous peaks get crowded — especially over the Christmas and New Year weeks — and the best banks change with every swell. This is where staying with people who live here pays off: our coaches surf these spots daily and know which corner between Tamraght and Imsouane is working before anyone's checked Surfline.
October deserves a special mention. It's the locals' favourite month for a reason: the first real swells arrive while the water is still 20°C and the summer crowds have gone home. If you can only pick one month and you surf at any level, pick October.
What we tell guests on WhatsApp
Most bookings start with the same message to us on WhatsApp (+212 752 510 382): "when should I come?" Our answer is always a question back — what do you want from the week? If it's your first time on a board, any month works and summer is lovely. If you want long point-break rides, come October to March and book early, because winter weeks fill four to eight weeks out and we only take twelve guests at a time. If you're short on holiday days, a 3–5 night Quick Escape in the shoulder months gets you the best waves-per-day ratio of the year. And if you're not sure — reserve the week that suits your calendar; the deposit is €100 and cancellation is free until 30 days before, so changing your mind costs nothing but a message.
Quick answers
- What is the best month to surf Taghazout?
- It depends on your level. For learning: June to September (small, warm, empty). For point breaks: December to February. For the best all-round balance of swell, weather and space: October, followed closely by April.
- Is the water cold in Morocco?
- Never truly cold — 17–19°C in winter, 21–23°C in summer. A 3/2 wetsuit covers the coldest months, and we provide wetsuits year-round, so leave yours at home.
- Is Taghazout crowded in winter?
- The famous points get busy, especially over the holiday weeks. That's why our coaches run dawn sessions and drive to the uncrowded corners between Tamraght and Imsouane — the daily transfers to the breaks are included.
- Can beginners come during the winter season?
- Yes. The big swells hit the points, but the sheltered beach breaks below Tamraght stay manageable on most winter days, and coaching happens every day of the year. Winter beginners just get warmer clothes for the rooftop.
- When do retreat weeks book out?
- October to April typically fills 4–8 weeks ahead — we cap every week at twelve guests. Summer stays flexible almost until the last minute.