Technically not part of Europe, few would argue that Morocco has some of the best surf in Europe. Make sense? Since the 1950’s when US soldiers based in Kentitra began discovering some of the right hand point breaks dotting the coast here it began making sense to a whole lot of surfers. Morocco remained very much an underground surf destination until Paul Witzig’s landmark film Evolution. Once the word got out though, Morocco has arisen as a staple on any global surfers hit list.
The 1000 odd miles of AtlanticCoast south of Casablanca fire on almost any swell with a N to NW swell direction. Morocco has the additional benefit of being far enough south from some of the caning North Sea storms that lash Spain and France as nothing but foul weather in winter, down in Morocco these storms often produce clean swell on the endless array of right hand points.
Most Moroccan surf trips start and end in the surf camps around Safi and there is nothing wrong with that at all. Overcrowding in recent years though has seen additional camps open up to the south around the Taghazoute / Agadir area; home to classic points such as Anchor Point, Boilers and Killers. There is a lot in between though and as long as you are sensible about it, Morocco is a destination that you can conceivably explore yourself given enough time.
The Northern Hemisphere Winter is the time to visit. Any low pressure cell hovering around Europe is going to deliver the goods albeit a few days later and a couple of feet smaller along the MoroccanCoast. If you are time poor, head straight to Safi, the breaks around Casablanca and the capital Rabat are generally very crowded and lack the quality of the southern points.
Anchor Point Photo:Tony-Bak
Safi to Agadir is only 250 kilometres and a great way to spend a week on the road. The water never really gets that warm, even down south despite the fact that you are on the border of the Saharan Desert but a 3/2 Steamer will get you through any Moroccan winter. Most of the points have very forgiving sandy bottoms so it’s a great trip for a group with a mixture of abilities.
Most shortboarders get by with a standard thruster and a longish pintail for the bigger days. A 6’8” should be plenty of length. If you are longboarding, leave the 9 footer at home and bring an 8’, you’ll catch everything you need to with that.
There are some epic spots pretty much off the charts down around the border with The Western Sahara. It’s advisable to bring a guide around that area of the country and under no circumstances should you cross the border by yourself; landmines, lack of fresh water and fuel and kids with guns are just some of your worries in that part of the world. If you can organise it correctly and safely though, you will be crossing the border into one of the last truly unmapped surf destinations. Fill up your water bottles, check the fuel tank, put your affairs in order...and start west.
Comments (6)
Saturday, 13 February 2010 17:41
6Magoo
More postcards please! Wheres next - over Morocco!
Friday, 29 January 2010 09:48
5Adam Waldie
More on Morocco Surfing here team: http://www.surfingatlas.com/country/127
Thursday, 28 January 2010 09:20
4Adam Waldie
Nice one Ferg - when were you there mate? Did you arrange the trip through an operator or just work it our yourself? Pro's and cons of each I think in a place with both epic surf yet a fairly un-evolved surf travel industry.
Monday, 25 January 2010 15:30
3FERG
Morocco is awesome. Get out of the European winter and hit sunny 25c days (cool nights). No one surfs the early, so you can get plenty of waves before 9am when everyone rolls out of bed. English being the 3rd language behind arabic and french can be a challenge though! I saw tonnes of empty breaks driving north of Agadir, but couldn't stop.
Great food, cheap accomm and plenty of culture. Take two boards, wax, fins, leash etc (very exp to buy there) and have a good time.....
Boilers Photo:Tony-Bak
Anchor Point Photo:Tony-Bak
Great food, cheap accomm and plenty of culture. Take two boards, wax, fins, leash etc (very exp to buy there) and have a good time.....
Some weeks ago, i was there : ))
Thanx to http://surfdesnations.com/
Hang5, dom ; ))