When I arrived in Casablanca, I thought I would finally be able to swim in open water half of the year. Haha (or hh, in Morocco), how naive was I. Not only are the waves two or three meters high, but the Atlantic’s water is freezing 90% of the year 😐. So, I will rather give you here a practical guide to use THE swimming pool of Casa. And share my few not-so-successful attempts to tame the Atlantic.
Casablanca’s Olympic swimming pool: user guide
My first swimming session was actually in a pool of one those clubs on the corniche (Tahiti beach or similar). But they are terribly crowded and ridiculously expensive for the quality of service.
As much as I searched for swimming pools around me, I had to admit that there was only one available for the whole city: the Olympic swimming pool, next to Mohamed’s V stadium.
Then started the obstacle race.
First, understanding when it was open and how to access it. The pool is not openly accessible for anyone (you cannot just pay an entrance once in a while), you have to register and take a subscription card for a quarter, a semester or a year. The most complicated is to find the time frame when the administration is open. It’s closing early like 3:30 or 4pm, and it’s also closed on weekends. I think I made three attempts at least before finally being able to enter (good to work from home). People there will give you a small paper explaining the different subscription options, the prices, and the required documents.
Second, registering. Go back with all the documents, and with the money. A week later (or so), go back to get your member card. They will mention 3 specific days during the week to access the pool, but you can in fact go whenever you want.
Well, not really whenever you want, actually. That’s the third and last step: finding and understanding the planing. Since this is the only pool for a 4 million inhabitants city, they have to organise it a bit not to be overcrowded. The planing is divided in 1.5 hour time slots. You can arrive whenever you want during those slots, but they will evacuate the pool at the end of each slot. You give your card at the entrance at take it back when you get out.
Be careful, the time table changes during Ramadan!
Taming the Atlantic (or not)
I only made three attempts to swim in open water while in Morocco. Because the water is very cold, the waves are dangerous, and, I had to make the most of my pool membership I struggled so hard to obtain.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t record any of those sessions whether because my watch wasn’t working (RIP Tomtom) or was out of battery.
Tanja
Officially, when you are in Tanja, you are actually swimming in the Mediterranean sea. Which meets the Atlantic a few kilometers West, in Cap Spartel. In reality, it doesn’t make a big difference. I swam there in July, and it was still pretty cold, but the waves are not that high. Other advantage, the beach is quite long and you can access it easily from the city and/or the old medina.
Bouznika
Bouznika is a small but fast-growing coastal city, halfway between Casablanca and Rabat. It’s well known for it’s beautiful clean beach (one of the cleanest in Morocco). The main advantage is that if you live either in Casa or Rabat, you only need 30 minutes by train to reach Bouznika. The beach is somehow protected by a bay, so the waves are not as violent as they can be in Aïn Diab. The water, though, is freezing as usual 🥲
Essaouira
Ah Essaouira, my favorite city in Morocco, if not on Earth… The beach is clean, endless, and almost waveless as it is protected. Other advantage, it’s just a few minutes walk from the medina. The main constraint in Essaouira is that not only the sea is freezing year long, but the city has a kind of micro climate, with constant wind and pretty cold temperatures even in summer.
And you, what are your favourite swimming pools or swimming spots in Morocco?