Imsouane seasonal overview
Best Surf Season (October - March)
When autumn turns the corner in the North Atlantic, Imsouane switches from a sleepy fishing village into a proper Atlantic surf spot. The storm track between Greenland and the Azores becomes more active, and the average wave height climbs to 6-8ft (1.8-2.4m) with periods reaching 12-13s. The wave roses still show a strong NNW/NW dominance through these months, but it is the rare, more direct S/SW groundswell that truly flushes the SSW-facing bay. Wind-wise, you have the gods on your side: ideal offshore flow from the N through NNW blows a very reliable 58-62% of the time, grooming the swell into clean, rippable walls. Cold fronts bring most of the year's rain during this window, and water temperatures hover around 17-18C, so it is not tropical - it is serious winter surf. A negative NAO pattern can push low pressure further south and feed more S/SW energy toward this corner of Morocco, while a positive NAO tends to keep the strongest storm track to the north, leaving Imsouane with more wrapping NNW/NW groundswell. Either way, the months from October through March carry the most size, period and quality.
Fair Surf Season (April - May and September)
This is the bridge between winter groundswell and summer windswell. April and May still hold 6-7ft (1.9-2.1m) of average swell, but the period drops from 12s to 9-10s, so the waves become shorter, more sectiony and less powerful. September is a little different: after the summer lull, the period climbs back to 10s and the North Atlantic starts sending the first true groundswell of the new season. The odds of finding a clean, open Imsouane improve thanks to 70% ideal winds in September, but the average size is still modest at around 5ft (1.5m).
Low Surf Season (June - August)
During the summer months, the Azores High locks in and the North Atlantic storm machine shuts down. The average swell height slips to 5-6ft (1.7-1.8m), and the period bottoms out at 7.6-8.3s, meaning most of the energy is short-period NNW windswell rather than powerful groundswell. The SSW-facing pocket of Imsouane is heavily shadowed from this direction, so it can be tempting to head to this spot for its legendary longboard waves, but the true quality and power level are at their annual low. On the bright side, the thermal N/NNW winds are offshore and consistent, and the tiny amount of rainfall plus 18C water means it is still possible to get long, grovelly sessions. This is 'small but clean' season, not 'pumping' season.