Arish seasonal overview
Best Surf Season (October - March)
When autumn darkness swallows the North Atlantic, Arish feels the full force of the mid-latitude storm track. The same low-pressure systems that light up Europe's west coast send long-period groundswell rolling south toward Western Sahara, and the wave rose lights up with a heavy NNW-to-NW signature. Average wave periods climb from the summer's 7-second windswell to a far more powerful 10-12 seconds, and despite the predominantly northerly direction, the WSW-facing beach picks up plenty of refracted and wrap-around energy. With the Azores High still strong enough to drive clean NE/E offshore flow, surfers get glassy faces and proper 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) waves more often than at any other time of year.
The heart of the season is November through February, when the best combination of size, period and offshore consistency comes together. October and March are transition months but can still deliver excellent conditions, especially when a negative-phase NAO pushes the storm track southward and keeps the trades from over-pumping.
Fair Surf Season (April, May and September)
As the Northern Hemisphere tilts into spring, the wave period drops and the surf loses some of its winter punch. April still averages a solid 1.6m (5-6ft), but the period drops to around 10s, making conditions punchier and more sectiony than the clean, long-period walls of winter. May and September sit on either side of summer with average periods of 8.5s and 8.4s, respectively. This is the time for grovel boards and keen eyes on the forecast; the dominant NNW/N energy still produces rideable 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) waves, but the quality is inconsistent and the trades are building. Early mornings and lighter-wind days offer the best chances to score a clean one.
Low Surf Season (June - August)
Summer in the Sahara is all trades and short-period windswell. The average swell direction shifts hard into N and NNE, the period bottoms out at 7.0-7.4s, and the Atlantic storm machine goes quiet. Size remains a surprising 1.4-1.5m (4-5ft) on the buoy, but that energy is mostly locally generated windswell, lacking the hold and push of a true groundswell. The NE trade wind blows offshore for Arish much of the time, but it often blows 30-40kph, adding heavy chop and making conditions look better on the report than they are in the water. If you can find a dawn window or a brief wind drop, the summer months can still produce clean, playful waves, but this is the low season for quality.