M'diq tide times

M'diq is on the Mediterranean side of the Tanger-Tétouan region, approximately 55 kilometres east of Tangier through the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean Sea has almost no independent tidal signal — it is a semi-enclosed basin connected to the Atlantic only through the Strait. The Atlantic tide enters the Strait and propagates eastward, but the tidal range attenuates rapidly: Tangier on the Atlantic side has a mean range of approximately 1.5 metres; inside the Strait the range drops sharply. By M'diq, 55 kilometres into the Mediterranean from the Atlantic junction, the mean range is only 0.5 to 0.7 metres. Further east into the Mediterranean, the range continues to fall to 0.2 to 0.3 metres along most of the North African coast.

M'diq's Mediterranean water reaches 26 to 28°C in July and August — among the warmest bathing temperatures on the Moroccan coast. The Atlantic beaches near Tangier and Asilah run 20 to 22°C in summer, cooled by the Canary Current upwelling along the Atlantic-facing coast. The difference is significant: M'diq's Mediterranean water is warm enough for extended swimming without a wetsuit from late May through October. Winter (December–February) temperatures drop to 14 to 16°C on the Mediterranean side, similar to the Atlantic. The protected, calm Mediterranean surface conditions at M'diq also make it better suited for young swimmers and family beach use than the more exposed Atlantic beaches.

Tétouan is 12 kilometres south of M'diq — 20 minutes by car or grand taxi. The medina of Tétouan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1997): a compact, well-preserved Andalusian-Moroccan medina founded in the late 15th century by Moorish and Jewish exiles from the Reconquista. The street plan, the house facades, the tilework, and the market structure reflect the Andalusian urban tradition. The Tétouan Archaeological Museum and the Ethnographic Museum are inside the historic centre. The medina is significantly less tourist-oriented than Fès or Marrakech; the working residential and commercial character is intact. A half-day from M'diq covers the medina circuit comfortably.

Swimming is comfortable from May through October — water temperature ranges from 18°C in May to 28°C in August and back to 18 to 20°C by October. July and August are peak season; the beach is busy and water is at its warmest. November through March the water drops to 14 to 16°C — cold for open-water swimming without a wetsuit, though local fishermen are on the water year-round. The Mediterranean surface conditions at M'diq are calm most of the year; the beach faces northwest and is sheltered from the dominant Atlantic swell by the Rif headlands and Cap Spartel. In summer, afternoon northerly winds (the local equivalent of the Alizé) can generate small chop, but the sea remains swimmable.

No. Predictions here come from Open-Meteo Marine, a global ocean model with a typical accuracy of plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height. At M'diq, where the mean tidal range is only 0.5 to 0.7 metres, that height uncertainty is proportionally larger than on the Atlantic coast — the model's error band represents 30 to 60 percent of the total tidal range. Tide timing predictions remain useful for general planning, but height predictions should be treated with more caution than at Atlantic locations. For authoritative official tide data for Mediterranean Morocco and the Strait of Gibraltar approaches, consult SHOMAR — Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine.