Surf & Kayaking
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About Surf & Kayaking in Morocco
Kayaking is the most useful thing to have on a surf trip for the days the surf does not work — and on this coast there are always some, when the swell is too big to be fun or drops away entirely.
Sea kayaking runs from the sheltered bays, most often around Imsouane, Agadir bay and the calmer water south of Taghazout. It is flat-water paddling along a cliff coastline rather than whitewater, and it needs no experience. The trade is that it uses the same shoulders you have been surfing with, so it is a rest day for your legs and not for your arms.
Inland, the river and lagoon paddling near Oued Massa and the Souss estuary is a birdwatching trip as much as a boat trip — the estuary is a protected wetland on a migration route, and the water is still. That version is genuinely restful and suits mixed groups where not everybody surfs.
Who it suits
Weeks where the forecast is uncertain, mixed groups with non-surfers, and anyone who would rather be on the water than waiting for it.
What to check before you book
- Coached hours per day, and how many people per instructor. Above eight to one you are being supervised rather than taught.
- What the room actually is. A dormitory bed and a private double are often quoted under one headline price.
- Which meals are included, and what happens on the days nobody drives to a spot.
- Whether transfers from the airport and to the surf are in the price or added later.
- The cancellation policy in writing, and what it says about weather.
Where to find this in Morocco
The coast this marketplace covers runs from Mehdia in the north to Sidi Ifni in the south. These are the places to start looking:
- Taghazout — The village that turned Moroccan surfing into an industry
- Tamraght — Quieter than Taghazout, and where most first lessons actually happen
- Agadir — Where you land, and a long city beach that works when the coast is huge
- Imsouane — The longest, gentlest wave in Morocco
- Essaouira — Wind city — a walled medina with world-class kite and windsurf