Scuba diving to the north of Morocco
A glance at the relevant marine charts will show that the underwater relief on the Moroccan side of the Straits of Gibraltar is both steeper and deeper than on the Spanish side. The North African tectonic plate continues its shift toward Europe; the same momentum that saw the creation of the Rif mountain range eons ago. Underwater, the Straits are a veritable treasure trove of dramatic walls and scree slopes of all kinds.
The Straits of Gibraltar are the gateway for trade between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. As the rivers that feed the Mediterranean do not supply enough water to compensate for the inland sea's evaporation, it is "topped up" by the Atlantic Ocean following the principle of communicating vessels. This creates a West-to-East surface current of around 1.5 knots (on top of the regular Atlantic tides) that brings food and sustenance to all manner of marine life. Another current, a deeper one this time, runs from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. This results from a difference in density, albeit minute, between the two bodies of water. The verticality of the relief, allied to the effect of the tides, prevent fishermen from trawling the seabed and fixing nets.
The Straits of Gibraltar are also a place of passage for many marine mammals. The rich waters provide a year-round home to dolphins, pilot whales, killer whales, whales of every stripe. There is an abundance of fish, too: the waters teem with grouper, conger eel, moray eel, sea bream, bass, black porgy and red pandora, among others. A trip to the fish auctions in the port of Tangier would give you a good idea of the diversity of marine fauna. As for flora, anyone who has ever dived in Morocco will confirm that the legendary fields of gorgonia, sponge and coral are real!
The growth of diving in Morocco
Like Spain and France, Morocco has two maritime shorelines: 3000 kilometers of Atlantic coast and 500 kilometers of Mediterranean coast.
So why is diving under-developed in Morocco? The answer is: it's only a matter of time. The country is now undergoing a period of strong economic growth and tourism is flourishing. Sports tourism, both water-based and land-based, is now being promoted. The authorities have recently made it easier for us to obtain the requisite permits and encourage licensed scuba-diving. It is very probable that more dive centers in Morrocco will spring up in the near future. Exactly the same logic applies to operators who offer activities in similar sectors, such as quad biking, parachuting, parasailing, sailing, sand yachting, kitesurfing, etc.
A slice of History
In the year 711, Tarik Ibn Ziad crossed the Straits at the head of the Arab army, numbering some 10,000 Moroccan Berbers. Disembarking on the great rock on the Spanish shores, he had his men destroy their ships so as to be sure of their motivation in fighting the enemy. This marked the beginning of the great Arab era in Andalusia (which lasted until 1462). From then on, the rock took the name "Djebel Tarik" (Tarik's Mountain), which, over the years, has become Gibraltar.
