Cap Skirring tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 04:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Africa/Dakar local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Last spring tide on Tue 19 May (range 1.9m). Next neap on Sat 23 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Cap Skirring is the southernmost resort coast in Senegal and arguably the most scenically complete beach on the West African Atlantic — a long arc of white sand backed by palms, with the cape itself breaking the beach into two distinct exposure zones. The northwest-facing side takes the full force of Atlantic groundswell that builds across thousands of kilometres of open ocean before hitting the Casamance coast. The south-facing bay curves away from the dominant swell, offering calmer water that is genuinely swimmable for most of the year. That split personality is what makes Cap Skirring work as a destination: surfers, swimmers, and snorkellers all get what they came for without competing for the same patch of water. Club Med opened here in the 1970s, making Cap Skirring one of the first African beach resorts marketed to European mass tourism. The resort is still there, though the wider tourism ecosystem has diversified considerably since. The surf community arrived independently of the resort infrastructure and has built its own quiet circuit of camps and board-rental operations around the point and the beach breaks to the north. The left-hand point at Cap Skirring itself is the benchmark wave on the Casamance coast: it fires on solid northwest groundswell, typically 1.5 metres and above at the swell buoy, and can produce long rides on a clean day. Beach breaks to the north and south of the cape are more consistent across a wider swell range and are where the surf schools work. Water temperatures here are noticeably warmer than the Dakar coast — the Canary Current cold upwelling reaches its southern limit around Dakar, and by the time you're at 12 degrees north in Casamance, sea surface temperatures typically hold between 24 and 27 degrees year-round. That warmth supports different marine life from the northern Senegal coast: snorkellers working the rocky sections north of the cape find parrotfish, triggerfish, and moray eels in the crevices; green turtles feed on the seagrass patches in the calmer bay sections. Tidal range at Cap Skirring is larger than the Dakar coast, typically 1.2 to 1.8 metres on spring tides. The bay geometry amplifies the tidal signal coming in from the Atlantic. On the surf side, low tide exposes rocky reef sections that are completely submerged at high water — these sections add power to the point break but create a more hazardous bottom for anyone who doesn't know the layout. Mid-tide to high tide is the safest window for surfing the point on bigger days; for swimming, the bay side stays manageable across the full tidal range. Tide predictions from Open-Meteo Marine carry ±45 min / ±0.3 m accuracy — use them for session planning, then read the water on arrival. The forest villages immediately behind the beach — Kabrousse, Diembéring — are Jola communities where traditional practices are still present. Fishing is done from dugout pirogues launched directly off the beach, targeting barracuda, kingfish, and red snapper. Charter fishing trips are easy to arrange and the offshore fishing is legitimate, with dorado and wahoo over the deeper banks. The Casamance forest behind the beach is part of the last significant lowland tropical forest block in Senegal; an afternoon walk into the palm groves and cashew orchards back of the beach almost always produces hornbills, bee-eaters, and sunbirds. The Casamance River mouth is 60 km northeast at Ziguinchor — a half-day boat trip into the mangrove creeks is one of the better excursions in this part of Senegal. Getting here from Dakar: domestic flight to Cap Skirring airport (around one hour, check Air Sénégal seasonal schedules) or the Dakar–Ziguinchor ferry followed by a shared taxi (80 km, roughly 90 minutes). The post-rains period — late October through February — is the sweet spot: forest is green, surf is up, and the humidity has dropped from its wet-season peak.