Arish - surf spot statistics

Best Surf Season (October – March)

Arish sits on a west-south-west facing stretch of the Western Sahara coast, and the statistics paint a clear picture: the spot’s optimal swell window – SSW through W – is virtually a ghost in the data. Nearly all of the wave energy arrives from the north (N, NNE, NW, NNW), wrapping around the Canary Islands and hitting the coast at a severe angle. That said, the winter half-year delivers the best compromise. From October through March, the North Atlantic storm track fires up, sending long-period groundswells (averaging 10–12 seconds) that push average heights into the 1.4–1.7m range. More importantly, the percentage of offshore wind (NNE through O) peaks during these months – December boasts a 50% ideal-wind rate, November 48%, and January 46%. When the trades ease and a strong high-pressure system parks over the Sahara, the offshore flow from the northeast to east grooms the north swell into clean, lined-up sets. Sure, the direction is never perfect, but the combination of size, period, and wind clarity makes this the go-to window for the best waves of the year.

Fair Surf Season (April & May & September)

As spring and early autumn take hold, the Atlantic storm activity begins to wane or has yet to ramp up. April and May still produce waves in the 1.4–1.6m range, but the average period drops to 8.5–9.9 seconds as the swell becomes more windswell-dominated. The north-northwest and north-north-east directions continue to dominate, and the wind becomes less reliable for creating that silky offshore texture – ideal-wind percentages fall to around 20–26%. September shows a similar pattern: average height 1.3m, period 8.4s, only 20% offshore wind. On the plus side, the sea breeze tends to be lighter during these transitional months, and the occasional late-season hurricane or early-season low can throw a longer-period pulse into the mix. For the patient surfer, there are fun, rippable waves to be found, but consistency and quality are a step down from the winter peak.

Low Surf Season (June – August)

The summer months are the leanest time at Arish. The North Atlantic storm track retreats, and the prevailing swell shifts to a short-period, locally generated windswell. Average wave height hovers around 1.4–1.5m, but the period plummets to 7.0–7.4 seconds – exactly the kind of bumpy, low-energy stuff that struggles to wrap into the beach properly. Compounding the problem, the wind regime becomes dominated by the trade winds blowing from the north and north-northeast at 20–40 kph, leaving only 10–13% of the time with offshore conditions. The result is a lot of choppy, crumbly surf that rarely breaks with any punch. While the rare pulse of long-period energy from a distant storm or a tropical system can briefly light things up, the summer default is small, weak, and often bumpy. Unless you’re desperate for a grovel session, this is the season to save your energy for winter.

May: Windswell Season

May truly ushers in the windswell-dominated regime. The average swell height falls to 1.4m, and the period drops to a marginal 8.5s. The dominant swell directions remain N (31.5%), NNW (43.4%), and NNE (18.0%), but these are now mostly generated by local winds rather than distant storms. The wind is brutal: NNE blows 45.4% of the time, with N at 31.3%. Speeds are often between 20–40 kph, leaving only 20% of the time with offshore conditions. When the wind is offshore (mainly from ENE through SE), the surface cleans up, but the short-period swell offers only weak, crumbly waves in the 0.5–1.5m range. The occasional longer-period pulse from a passing cold front can break the monotony, but overall May delivers small, average-quality surf. It’s a month for groveling on a longboard or chasing any shadow of a decent line.