Longboarding in Morocco is increasingly on the rise. Perhaps it’s because of the rolling nature of stunning surf spots like Imsouane, one of the best log waves on the planet. But when you peel away from the tourist zones, there’s actually a whole plethora of AAA set-ups to sink your rail into.
Take for instance, some of the classic Moroccan right-hand pointbreaks scattered across the country’s expansive coastline. These are absolutely not shortboard exclusive waves. A longer board, with more rail-line and volume, will allow you to take off on the peak much sooner, set yourself up and cruise down the line.
Thinking about a trip to Morocco? Base yourself at Dfrost Almugar near Taghazout and experience the points across the country.
If you base yourself at Taghazout, it’s much easier to head north or south, away from the more popular spots while you get to grips with taking off on steeper waves. Or if you’re a more experienced surfer, to allow for the thigh-burning experience of riding a wave for a kilometre, or more, and come out the other end smiling – which is more than enough to reason to hop a flight to Agadir, especially during the colder months in the northern hemisphere.
But don’t take our word for it. Sam Bleakley and Caity Klein have spent years dancing across the Moroccan wave-o-sphere, utilising longer crafts throughout their time there. Here, they run down exactly why Morocco should be a brilliant longboard destination – and what you’re potentially missing out on.
Sam Bleakley
Sam Bleakley, UK longboard expert knows his way around a line-up.
“My journey travelling to Morocco started in the mid-to-late 1990s. I’d been travelling to Fuerteventura on a regular basis, not far from the coastline of Morocco. The country was on my radar and felt it was time to experience Taghazout. I flew out there. I immediately fell in love with Morocco. For only three and a half hours of flying, it was a huge cultural shift in language, landscape and history outside of Europe. That really excited me. Those open-faced, long right handers were also perfect for me as a regular-footed longboarder.
“Surfed Killers and Boilers. I went to Imsouane to surf Cathedrals and the Bay there. And also travelled down to Sidi Ifni and Dakhlar in the early 2000s. Then started to do some competitions around there.
“So from those trips, I really developed a deep love of Morocco. The history. The culture. The waves have got those power, force and temp but they’ve also got space to really allow that expression on a bigger board. So you’ve really got wave faces that allow that longer rail line in the water. Great for fish and mid-lengths. If you’re on a longboard though, you’ve really got that canvas to express a style of longboarding that’s not just trim-based, there’s certainly a need for engaging the rail but the waves are open-faced enough to allow a really dance-like quality of longboarding that I love.
“If you’re surfing Imsouane – a very traditional log will work extremely well on the smaller days. But when Imsouane has a juicy swell, pulling in the tail and having a more lively board is great. Most of the waves in Morocco have sandstone and reef bathymetry and have a challenging way in and out of the water, especially if you’re riding the points around Taghazout.
“Some of the points have a lot of power and Atlantic rawness behind them, so to me, that encourages longboards that aren’t too clunky and cumbersome. It’s fine to use a two plus one if you prefer to have the drive of three fins, if you’re using single fins, which work great in Morocco, you might ally that with a wide point back outline or a bit of bite in the tail to really move and drive through those shifting sections.
“You don’t need something bigger than 9 foot. You’re not trying to generate speed here as there’s so much power, not like other point breaks across the world where longboarders ride flatter, more traditional boards. A nice all-rounder is ideal. Wide point back, or towards the middle. Not heavy rocker but somewhere in the middle too.
“As a travel experience, it’s such an incredible fusion. There’s the cities towards the north which are thriving and classy, a wonderful surf community. Most travellers head south of them though and there’s so much on offer there. Get to Marrakech, which is six hours from the coast, but you really get to enjoy the tapestry of expression there.
“Anyone considering a trip; first, find out can you support any local shapers in Morocco? There’s loads of boards around – if you bring a board, can you sell it there and improve availability of boards there. If you can support the emerging Morocco surfboard injury, that would be a really positive thing. EasyJet are very accommodating for longboards. Royal Air flying from London are good too. Appreciate your board will gain some air miles, a little bit battered in use, maybe, that desert dry air – the weathering of a board on a Morocco surf trip is brilliant – shows they’ve been used.
“I would absolutely recommend Morocco for a family trip. My daughter Lola, who is 18 now, first went there when she was one, then three-years-old when I was competing on the World Tour of Longboarding. Great way to meet with local Moroccans is to travel with your kids. We had a great time in Marrakech with a wonderful family, going up in o the High Atlas mountains. It’s one of the great family destinations of surfing.”
Caity Klein
Morocco is the land of never-ending rights, as evidenced by Caity, here.
“The first couple of trips that I took to Morocco I never found myself on a longboard. Every time we were there I kept hearing about the magical bay, Imsouane. After a couple trips we finally made it down there and I surfed, in my opinion, one of the best longboard waves I’ve ever surfed.
“Along with the incredible length of this wave, the town had the most magical special vibes with rolling high rusty orange cliffs as far as the eye could see and tucked away into this huge bay was a little town full of locals, art, incredible food. You could get a wave minutes long and have your legs absolutely burning by the end, that’s something I’ve never experienced anywhere.
“I went from riding a beautiful Almond 9’4” to a little 5’4” Panda fish twin fin on the bigger days and had an incredible time on both. I also surfed a 10-foot glider and I think I hit the sweet spot with that board as I had some of my best waves on it. On the points, depending on the swell, you can really get away surfing every kind of board.
“Morocco is magic too. You can be in a small coastal town with surfboards leaning against centuries-old buildings while hearing conversations of multiple different languages. It feels like a meeting point of continents, cultures, and generations all layered on top of each other. The last time I was in Morocco was a few years ago and, like every other perfect surf spots, it’s changed a lot since the first time I was there.
“I would absolutely say travel around and go surf Imsouane because it’s such a magical place, but from what I’ve learned from locals is that the coast of Morocco stretches on and on and there are perfect longboard waves to explore up and down the coast.
“The people of Morocco have my heart forever, the most warm, welcoming, giving, kind people. We left our nine month old and two-year-old with our friends in Safi for hours on end, knowing that they were in the best hands possible. The people there love kids so everywhere we travelled, we were met with smiles and warm welcomes. Our kids loved the food there and there are many waves for young kids to surf.
“What I recently learned is that Morocco and Southern California are on the same latitude line and it’s always reminded me of California. The weather and climate, the water temperature, the sunsets all very similar to my home. It’s the most beautiful country to explore the history and culture with kids.
“It has this special quality about it… When you connect a set wave from any of the tops of many points, to the beach, these can feel like the best longboard waves in the world.”
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Book in with Dfrost Almugar for your ultimate Morocco experience.
