The Travel Diary: Morocco’s premier surf spot
- Text by Corey Frank
- Photography by Corey Frank
It was last winter that a friend of mine asked me to join him on a trip to Morocco. I didn’t have anything planned yet and it seemed like a great excuse to swap the New Jersey cold for the sun and surf of Morocco.
I had an image of the country in my head before the trip, formed by the Modern Collective video there; there was this broken building that was the same colour as the sand, and seemed to be in the middle of the desert.
All I really knew about Morocco was that there’s a lot of right point breaks, and camels. But I knew it would be unlike anywhere else I’d visited, and was pretty excited to shoot somewhere new. Surfing was my main pull to the place and for for the trip, but I knew it was a great opportunity to shoot some photos and learn about a culture that I knew nothing about to begin with.
We arrived in Agadir, a large city on the southern Atlantic coast, famous for it’s idilic resorts and golf courses. A small taxi picked us up and we drove for an hour to Taghazout, before getting to Moroccan Surf Adventures. The climate and landscape reminded me of southern California. What caught my attention the most were the colours; I couldn’t get over the sheer splendour of all the buildings and knew from the start I wanted to create a zine that captured the enchanting vibrancy.
Taghazout boasts a handful of surf camps and has established itself as the leading destination for Moroccan surf, for locals and tourists alike. What I loved about it was how every wave, beginner or pro, is an option. The coast line bends in and out like California, so you can have this perfect point break and two minutes away tucked around a little bend is this mushy beginner wave.
From what I could tell, surfing has been seriously beneficial for tourism in this region. It feels like it’s in this weird stage of development. In mid-construction is this huge resort in Taghazout, whether or not it’ll be good for residents in the village remains to be seen, but it’s great to think surfing is continuing to bring money to the town.
Everyday we surfed and got to explore a few more places in the area, finding sweet spots along the way. There’s an awesome little market every week in Taghazout where the locals go to get their groceries, and you get to sample one of Morocco’s other divine assets: the food.
From a surfer’s point of view, the image I took back from Morocco is definitely different to what I’d expected. Most of what I’d seen of Morocco in videos was this world where desert meets ocean, and I just pictured all the buildings to camouflage within the sand. So this explosion of colour really fascinated me and though I only spent 10 days there, it was one hell of an experience. Surfing any new place is awesome, but getting to immerse yourself in a culture so different to your own can be just as compelling
You can check out Corey’s zine online.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists
We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme
Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?
Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.
Written by: Emma Garland
How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography
The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The British intimacy of ‘the afters’
Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.
Written by: Ella Glossop