Surf Morocco
A quick guide to getting the most from your surf trip
Morocco. Land of sun, sand and of course, lots & lots of goats, often in trees.
There’s some decent waves too. After several successful(ish) trips, here’s my quick guide’orama to breaking in those Morocco-sans.
- Pack
Packing a surfboard is easy. Note that a a surfboard is curved while other luggage is flat. As luggage is seriously compressed in aircraft holds, take my advice & pack a wetsuit one end & a towel the other (underneath) to support the rocker. Fill in the middle dip with towels. The resulting package should be a flat sausage of surfboard & bulky clothing. Something you can compress without snapping your board. Protect your rails either by double bagging (what I do) or using plumbers pipe foam insulation to wrap around the edges. Either way this should result in an un-broken surfboard at either end, fingers crossed.
2. Clothing
Dress light. Agadir is not the fashion capital of the world so don’t worry too much about what you look like, plenty of T-shirts & shorts, a pair of bright thongs (flip flops to you) & sunglasses (ideally the type that you won’t cry over when they break). Pack loads of suncream & don’t forget you need to let it dry before you get wet. Paw Paw ointment is awesome & greased many an Aussie rugby players inner thighs, great for grazes & heat rashes, you know, down there.
I have a bucket hat that is useful both for keeping the sun orf & being easily reconizable out in the surf. Sandy beaches sometimes disappear & are replaced by rocks (really) so a pair of slip-on reef boots are probably worth the investment. Always on sale, somewhere. I reccomend a full length 3/2 wetsuit, at 20 degrees the water is warm but not that warm, and can get colder as it wells up from down deep. Even a 4/3 is fine. Also the full length offers some protection from fin chops etc, which are best avoided, see below.
3. Medical
It’s not the cleanest most sterile country in the world. There’s bacteria in the air & water that the locals are immune too that will give you something nasty. If you get a cut i.e. a fin chop, the wound could go south quicky & go ‘troppo’ a nice way of describing flesh eating bacteria that can really kill you totally to death. Treat yourself with your own supplies. Antiseptic then seal your cuts quickly with a spray on skin type plaster then cover again with a waterproof silver plaster/bandage. If you did it in the sea, leave it ‘wet’ & don’t let it dry out & then go back into the sea — one or the other. If it starts getting pink around the edges get yourself over to your GP pronto. Don’t drink the water. Avoid freshly ‘washed’ salads & foodstuffs. You’ll be fine.
3. Localism
Usual rules apply on the surf breaks, act like a tit & the locals will give you the shoulder. Show some resepct & they can be surprisingly generous & warm. Generally the locals are great & breaks aren’t over crowded, it’s rare to get a competitive vibe. It’s a muslim country so crime is low & people have a strong sense of community. Respect.
4. And Relax
Morocco was once a french colony & most people know at least a few words of french. If your Arabic is a bit rusty then you can always fall back on your old classroom French, ie :
Hello — Bonjour
Or some easy Arabic :
Thankyou — Choukran
Agadir is an easy going, relaxed place. Best to get on with your surfing. Enjoy!
