It’s twenty-two degrees. I’m sitting in the Atlantic, squinting from the glare of the sun over the water. Its 6pm but the sun is still bright. I sit on my board and let the waves pass underneath me. The bay gets busy in Imsouane.
Magic Bay lays claim to one of the longest waves in Africa, and the tourists and locals alike are waiting their turn for a smooth ride, over the glassy ocean, all the way in to the beach. This isn’t my first time in Morocco, or in the village either. I visited a couple of years ago, in February 2023 and I’m back because It’s a perfect solo destination for some winter sun and some surfing.
Imsouane is growing. A lot has changed since my last visit, and the devastating earthquake which hit in 2023, but the magic remains. The sun rises late in February, at around eight thirty, but later still as it takes it’s time to climb up from behind the mountains, then glows in the water before hitting the beach and then the rest of the village. I watch from the water. Pastel pinks and blues and the faded oranges of the mountains. Smiles from the surfers around me. A mutual acknowledgement of this still and quiet moment, before breakfast, before the day properly begins. Time here revolves around the ocean. I use the tides to structure my time, when I eat, drink a pot of tea, and when I’m getting changed into my wetsuit. A 3/2 in February is light work after the ritual of hoods, boots and gloves needed to brave the UK’s winter waters. The bay in Imsouane is huge, and the rides are long. Start at the harbour and, when the waves are a bit bigger and the current stronger, end up at the other end of the beach, walking all the way back around. A carousel of wetsuits and boards in the sunshine.
It’s not the easiest location to get to, but worth the journey. Flights into Agadir are followed by a two-hour drive. You can see Imsouane from the road, jutting out from the coastline a while before you get there, but have to cut through the winding mountain roads before arriving in the village. It seems tucked away, but is not a secret, especially amongst the crowds of returning surfers and the hyped newcomers who found it through Tik Tok videos and Instagram. The more well-known towns of Taghazout and Essaouira are not too far away and have a bit more going on. More shops and restaurants, a skatepark and some historic monuments if that’s more your thing. There’s a shuttle bus from Imsouane too, if the timings work for you, or you can hire a car, take a taxi. I’ve visited both on day trips and want to explore them both more when I’m next in the country but have enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the village.
The sun sets over Cathedral. A beach break with more exposure to the elements, and most of the time, bigger waves. It’s quieter in the water here, but strangers gather to watch in the cloudless evening light as the sun sinks into the ocean. Some others skate or surf skate up and down the road parallel to the beach, past the vans from all over the place which are parked up by the pavement. If you don’t have your own, you can hire a board from the closest café, or ask someone to have a go maybe, everyone is friendly. For my first week I stayed in a surf camp, in a bell tent and then spent the second in a hostel. There are plenty of accommodation options in Imsouane; hostels, hotels and Air Bnbs. It’s easy enough and cheap enough to find something suited to anyone. Lots of places hold yoga classes or offer surf lessons and hire as well at an extra cost. I met lots of lovely people in both places I stayed, some in big groups and some solo travellers, everyone with a love for the sun and the surf.
If you go to Imsouane, say hello to passers-by, be friendly in and out of the water, and talk to the locals before getting in the sea.
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