Safi

Surf Guide

Halfway between Casablanca and Agadir, the dingy port town of Safi can be depressing. It is a major port and industrial town set into a bend in the coast, strikingly ugly especially if you've come from the charming town of Essaouria to the south. It is a major sardine processing port, and south of town there is an enormous - enormous - phosphate factory that is nearly a town-sized factory like something out of a science fiction movie. It is also historically one of the main ceramic centers, and an afternoon wander through the small ceramic shops to see pots and bowls being made is interesting. The surf is great in Safi, however, and - as with much of the country - overlooked by travelers. If you want to surf epic reefs with no one out, it's a good bet that you'll score in Safi, as there are few to no traveling surfers, and plenty surf if you look a little. This stretch of coast is holding some true gems for the searcher. Joust south of town and easily found by driving along the coast is the right point/reef of Sidi Ghouzia. Located in front of some open lots in a residential area, the set up looks perfect when you pull up: a small cove with rights swinging around and no one out. Park in the dirt lot within sight of your car and paddle out from the inside. The wave itself is crumbly and forgiving, with playful sections and room for lots of turns, reminiscent of Lower Trestles. Lower tides are better, making the faces steeper, and in the mornings when it is glassy, it can be great fun. The well-defined reef can hold shape up to solid overhead but too big and it can break wide and fat. A few locals might come out to share the waves - hit them up for info on other spots in the area.