ocean, booming against sandy cliffs that melt into ochre
drips as we watch. One wave jacks up in the shallows, then
dredges left as a 3m green wall, sucking up sand before it
explodes in galloping foam. A lot of power, Mohammed
agrees, which is how I had come to be on a longboard in the
lagoon with Chouaib, secretly revelling in beginners’ breaks.
Small waves are still breaking as I breakfast on the terrace
of L’Hippocampe the next morning. It’s a perfect winter day
in Morocco; the sunshine warm, the air as crisp and
effervescent as Champagne. It’s the sort of moment in which
you would be happy simply to take a deep breath and sit back
with a smile on your face. But empty waves are irresistible.
I cajole Chouaib and Mohammed into their wetsuits, and
we head out with another Surfland graduate, Medhi. The
18-
year-old has dropped out of college to go surfing and he’d
Marrakech
need to know
(
90
)
minute surf lessons for adults at Surfland
start at €20
(
200
)
metric tonnes of oysters are fished from
the sea off Oualidia each year
(
16
°C
)
the average temperature of the water
in February
easyJet
flies to Marrakech from eight
destinations. See our insider guide on
page 153. Book online at easyJet.com
easyJet Holidays
Seven nights B&B at the five-star Kenzi
Farah, departing on 6 March from London
Stansted, costs £318 per person.
easyJet.com/holidays*
La Maison Arabe
This luxury riad is a 10-minute walk from the
oldmedina, and has a heated pool and spa
with hammams. Book at hotels.easyJet.com
*
FOR T&CS SEE P157
recently disappeared for weeks to go hunting new waves in
the southern shores of Morocco. It’s only as we all paddle out
together that I realise I’m with a third of Oualidia’s surfing
community. It’s a rare treat.
In truth, the waves aren’t up to much. The swell churns in
the lagoon mouth, then reforms as haphazard sloppy peaks.
Medhi and I trade a chest-high right that breaks off the cliffs,
while Chouaib and Mohammed pick off rides on stand-up
paddleboards. No matter. It’s the sort of mellow day surfers
love – just you and a few friends sharing the thrill of gliding
across moving walls of water.
As we get changed, Mohammed mentions another wave
further up the coast. What’s it called? I ask. How far up? Oh,
just up the coast, he replies with a shrug. Another empty
wave to discover. Another surfari to plan. Inshallah.
IT’S A PERFECT WINTER DAY IN MOROCCO.
THE SUNSHINE WARM, THE AIR AS CRISP AND
EFFERVESCENT AS CHAMPAGNE
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