Essaouira
Surf spot · Morocco
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 266kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 154kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 128kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 154kJ
- Wind
- S 23 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 261, good
- Tue 373, good
- Wed 432, too small
- Thu 556, fair
- Fri 655, fair
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 817, too small
- Mon 928, poor
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Dec–Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 61, good | 5 ft10 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 519kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 73, good | 4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 266kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | wind from the south, 23 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 988kJ | wind from the south, 17 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,301kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 21°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:01 −0.7 mHigh 07:33 +0.9 mLow 14:08 −0.9 mHigh 20:31 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:30 −0.7 mHigh 08:54 +1.0 mLow 15:29 −0.9 mHigh 21:45 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:47 −0.8 mHigh 10:03 +1.1 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 22:44 +0.9 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Dec–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Essaouira on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
2 places
- Cap Sim 15.2 km away
- Sidi Kaouki 17.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Essaouira
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (304°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (124°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Essaouira, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$845–US$1,630 each
about US$845–US$1,630 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to ESU, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$476–US$986 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$34–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$127–US$215 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$148–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$60–US$101 |
| Total | about US$845–US$1,630 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 178 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Essaouira its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ouassane on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Sidi Kaouki on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 20 places to stay
About US$47 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 18h 40m
About 18h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ESU, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → ESU on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.