Who this guide is for

This guide is for everyone, who is just starting out surfing or has some beginner experience, but does not own surfing equipment yet. Basically we excluded every place that has no rental shops in the vicinity or is hard to reach.

I know the real hidden spots are exactly in those unknown small villages, where the waves are still empty and where you only companions on the waves are fellow locals. Yet the problem is, that if you are young and broke therefore you will most likely not have your own equipment and getting a rental car to reach those hidden places is out of your budget. Thus we will focus on towns easy to reach by public transport and that rent out boards and suits somewhere near the beach.

Surfing in Morocco – Overview

Weather

The weather at the moroccan coastline is very pleasant year-round with around 300 days of sunshine per year. The coldest month is January with an average daytime temperature of 18°C while the hottest month is August with 25°C. Water temperatures reach from 18°C in the winter to 22°C in the summer therefore wearing a wetsuit is mandatory for longer sessions.

The coastline is compared to the inland of Morocco always sujected to a fresh breeze from the ocean, with fog in the mornings being no rarity. Due to the Atlantic being to the west of Morocco you will be able to enjoy stunning sunsets everyday. The sun is intense, yet is not as strong as for example in Sri Lanka, where surfing during noon is basically impossible unless you like sunburns.

Waves and surf – A short rundown

Waves in Morocco differ from season to season. In the summer they are most mellow and are perfect for beginners surfing for the first time. If you are already advanced, try coming between September and Mai with the biggest swells coming between December and February.

If you are afraid that you won’t have good swells during your trip do not worry as even in conditions where the waves at your location are too low or too high there are other spots, that make up for that. It basically depends on your location. Some surf towns only have 1 beach, which makes them susceptible too irregular swell periods while others have many different brakes that you can change onto should others not work.

Morocco has mostly Point Breaks and Beach Breaks, with most Point Breaks being right-hander waves. Many Breaks have sand bottoms making them less risky if you fall, although harder brakes to exist.

Transport

If you want to rent a car at the airport, that is absolutely no problem. Major roads are almost always asphalted and of good quality. You can reach all of the places mentioned below easily within 3 hours maximum from either Marrakech, Agadir or Essaouira Airports. You can also include one of the stops into a roadtrip itinerary through Morocco, if you want a wider experience of the country.

Busses

Should you not want to rent a car or you do not have the budget for that, do not be worried as you can reach every town easily by public transport. In short Morocco has three main ways to get around. First is the bus network. Busses connect every major town in Morocco. They have schedules and can be bought online or right at the designated bus station. They are a good option for everyone looking for a hasstle-free vacation. The downsides to them are the long travel times and the places they serve.

For example: There are busses running around 10 times daily between Essaouira and Agadir. They follow the N1 highway which leads to many surf towns you might want to visit being left out such as Sidi Kaouki and Imsouane. Generally they take the longest but are also the cheapest option.

Shared Taxis

Second option would the the shared taxis. They are Morocco’s way to reach every small town and village from anywhere. Crucially, they do not have a timetable and you just wait at the road for one to come or, if you are in a major town, at the taxi stand. There are enough taxis near main roads, so that at anytime of the day you will not have to wait long until one arrives. If you are in a smaller place though, it can sometimes take quite some time for the taxi to fill up, so the safely catch one, you should always come early in the morning.

The downsides to them are the higher price, which additionally you have to negotiate with the driver. He will almost always try to rip you off with prices 2-3x higher than what locals pay so try to find out what the actual price should be. As orientation: If a bus costs 60DH, then a taxi realistically can cost between 80DH and 100DH although that really depends on the route.

Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking is the way, many locals also try to go places, that are poorly served by shared taxis. It is pretty safe, as all the people we met on the road welcomed us with open arms. It is the cheapest and probably the fastest way to go places in Morocco as you rarely have to wait too long. The downside is of course, that it is still a bit dangerous as you have to trust random strangers without knowing them beforehand.

Prices

Morocco overall is a very cheap surf destination compared to it’s Atlantic Surf counterparts in Europe. Renting board and wetsuit will cost you between 8-12€ for the day and accomodation can be found for around 10€ a night includung breakfast. Taking a surf lesson is around 30€. It should be clear that most prices are not set in stone.

For example: We wanted to rent equipment in Imsouane and we got a price of 11€ per day. I negiotiated it down to 8€, as we stayed in the town for 5 days and wanted to go with him as a rental place for the other 4 days aswell. Please do not be rude or try to negotiate for an unreasonably low price. In most cases, the 1€ you pay less, would be much more important to the surf shop owner. So don’t get yourself ripped off but support his business accordingly.

Surftowns

Essaouira

Essaouira is the perfect place for beginners, as the main beach is sheltered by Ile de Mogador just off the coast, giving you mellow waves for your first sessions. The city is vibrant and my personal favorite overall in Morocco. I would come back to it anytime and have alredy visited three times in the last 1,5 years. I have written a guide on Essaouira, which goes into more detail, that you might want to check out.

In terms of surfing, the city has only one major beach that is suitable meaning that in case off small waves, which happens more often in Essaouira, you cannot go surfing our you have to drive to Sidi Kaouki roughly 30 minutes away by bus or taxi. We chose this place for our second surfcamp, when were starting to surf and it was perfect, as it is not crammed with foreigners and gives you the chance to live among locals and enjoy moroccan culture at it’s most authentic. If you also want to go with a teacher, I can highly recommend Oussama Farzouz, who organized accomodation for us and was the best surf teacher we ever had.

Sidi Kaouki

Sidi Kaouki is not far away from Essaouira and you can even visit it as a day trip from the city. But to really fall in love with this place you have to stay here overnight and wake up with breakfast by the empty main road overlooking the ocean, as the first surfers go out at dawn. It is in my opinion the most relaxing of the places presented here. No stress and just vibes.

It is a small village roughly 30 minutes away from Essaouira and has a direct bus connecting it to the airport. Sidi Kaouki has many different accomodation options and restaurants, that offer local food. It is still a bit more unknown compared to the big names Imsouane and Taghazout.

But be warned: Sidi Kaouki is a village so no a lot of infrastructure is in place. No supermarket and no ATM. If you want to get anything or go to a different town you will always have to go via Essaouira.

Imsouane

Imsouane is famous for the „longest wave in Africa“, which exists due to the town sitting in a small land formation pointing into the ocean. It is a surf mecca with „The Bay“ and „The Cathedral“ as the two breaks with different orientations, thus giving you almost guaranteed access to a surfable beach in most conditions. Especially the bay is interesting as it has the unique feature that you can walk to the back of the back, paddle out, surf it as far as you can and then come out of the water and walk back again.

The downside is, that is very oriented towards tourists. The prices for food are highest here and apart from surfing, there is not a lot to do. It is also not that easily reachable by public transport, as shared taxis do take a while to fill up. Still it has a really chill vibe to it and I would come back anytime, as it is one of the most unique surf spots I have been to ever.

Taghazout / Tamraght

The uncontested champion of surftowns in Morocco. Famous across Instragram is Taghazout a small surf town not far from Agadir. Together with the adjacent Tamraght are home to the most surf shops and surf spots in the country. Taghazout offers a wide selection of beach breaks and point breaks alike so there should be something for everyone. The town itself is very lively and it’s small alleyways have a real charm. It is also easy to reach by bus being conected to the city bus network of Agadir.

The only problem I have with it is that most of the nice surf spots are only really reachable by either car or a guide, which costs extra money, so basically without transport you are stuck with the beach that is right in front. Also, it is quite hectic. There are som many people and cars passing through on the main road, that it fells totally different from Sidi Kaouki for example. Good vibes, parties and cheap surf descirbes this place pretty well.

Mirleft

Being a bit of an outlier here, Mirleft is not a traditional surf town. It is quite far south of Agadir and the touristic vibe that many other surf spots traditionally develop is lacking here. Here surf culture is just getting big and many other tourists we met learned about the place years ago and come back year on year again. The beaches here are wild and nestled into nature. There are small trucks that will take you too each of the surf spots for a small price and you will have the best surf panorama.

It has a very relaxed vibe with good restaurants and friendly locals letting us feel like at home. The only problem is that, the selection of surf shops is pretty slim if you do not have a car. Bascially because you have to take the truck to each beach you can only go to one beach, that has a surf shop right there. Still it is absolutely beautiful and I would definitely come back anytime.

If you are a beginner, this town is probably not for you. The swell from the open Atlantic is often times pretty strong, so mellow waves are rarer here than in other places.

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