Surfing in Morocco: One week at the Surf camp in Tamraght
Chasing the last sunlight before the start of the winter is possible in Morocco.
November is the start of the season – with the first winter swell arriving – for any surf camp located in the area of Agadir.
There are two villages well known for being the surf Mecca: Taghazout and Tamraght.
Waves start to kick out from November till March, with a good peak in December. Plus, you won’t have to worry about the weather as Morocco is blessed with lots of sun and warm temperatures all year round.
Surfing in Morocco: Offshore surf camp
Offshore is a brand new surf camp located above a hill in Tamraght, a quiet fishing village just 10 min. walking from the beach.
What makes the difference from other places is to be really chill, relaxing and intimate.
This means that there won’t be big groups during your stay but you will have the chance to have a warm welcome from the lovely staff that works there.
What I liked the most was the flexibility they have with customers. Going to a small surf camp has the benefit of having a bit more attention in the everyday life from the staff.
On my first day, I was dropped off by the taxi driver at the villa where one of the surf instructors was waiting for me. We skip all the procedures, I left my bag in the room and he brought me directly to the beach to join the group for the afternoon session.
In 30 min. I was already in the salty water 🙂
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Surfing in Morocco: Daily routine
Every day I had a delicious breakfast on the roof with the view of the ocean and the first sunlight warming up my face.
Such a good way to start the day!
If you are brave enough to wake up early – not my case – there is also a yoga session at 7.30 am on the second rooftop.
Around 10.00 am was time to go surfing. The pick-up was bringing the group to the ‘best’ spot – as they said – but I noticed that during the week we did not go so far from the village. We mostly visit spots around Tamraght, and that’s it.
Note that most of beginners/intermediate spots are beach breaks. Point breaks seem to be more for intermediate/advanced.
The morning session for beginners and intermediate is with the surf instructor that tries to combine teaching and coaching.
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The break was at the beach around 1 pm. Here we had time to rest and take new energy from the tasty packed lunch prepared for all of us by the chef and mom of the house, Loubina.
The afternoon session could start whenever students wanted to go back into the water as it is without any guidance and ended at 4 pm (the latest).
The rest of the day was free! We could decide to be dropped off at Tamraght, instead of the camp, to have a smoothie in one of the bars of the village – my favourite is Babakoul – or have a look at the small independent shops.
Dinner time was at 8 pm – right after a magical sunset – and every day we had different Moroccan dishes. I loved all of them!
You could serve yourself as many times as you wanted but everyone knew to keep space for the final surprise, the dessert.
On the weekend there were some events going on like on Friday when went out for dinner together, there was a jam session at Amouage, another surf camp with a bar and surf shop open to everybody.
Surfing in Morocco: What you need to know before travelling
Money
Cards aren’t widely accepted outside big cities and tourist resorts.
That’s why once you arrive at the airport, you will need to withdraw some cash. ATMs in Morocco have a maximum withdrawal that is 2000 MAD, around 200 Euros.
If you do not have time, or you forgot, you can ask the staff at the camp to drive you to the ATM in Banana village, just 5 min. by car from Tamraght.
Anyway, you won’t need to spend a lot of money during your stay as everything is already included in the Surf package.
In one week, I’ve just paid for some snacks, dinner out and taxi.
Alcohol
As you know, Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol and this is the reason why in a small village like Tamraght, there are no nearby shops that sell alcohol.
However, it doesn’t mean that you won’t find it anywhere, it is just a bit difficult when you are outside tourist areas.
The best option is to bring alcohol from duty-free or ask your driver to stop at an alcohol shop along the way to the camp.
Water
The first rule when you arrive in Morocco is to not drink tap water.
What I really appreciated in this camp are the small attention given to the environment.
To minimalize plastic usage, they suggest to guests to bring a reusable water bottle as they will provide water (from a big tank bought at the supermarket) during the stay.
In this way, nobody will have to throw away plastic bottles every day. Easy and smart!
Souk day
Wednesday is the souk day!
Visiting the souk, the typical market, is one of the most exciting and popular activities to do in Morocco. It can be chaotic, but it shows you the authentic daily life.
The souk in Banana village is the nearest, smaller than the one in Agadir, and more traditional as you will find just fresh food products: fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices etc. to buy at cheap prices. Do not miss it 🙂