The Money Wave

Surf Guide

The powerful, consistent right-hander previously well-known as the Money Wave - an image of the huge phosphate factory on the beach once adorned the back of 1,000 dirham note - has all but disappeared off the traveling surfers' list of Moroccan surf spots in the past decade. While its appalling location in front of a huge, noisy factory is largely to blame, the waves are as good as ever. Follow the coast south from Safi until you come to the huge factory. Pull up in the dirt lot in front and just in front is a long reef of right-handers that picks up a lot of swell. The paddle out from the rocky beach can be a bit of work when the swell is big, but the big, shifty, hollow peaks are what you're dreaming of right now. There are barrels and big faces for lots of turns, challenging enough for the best surfers, and - as usual in northern Morocco - no one out. Staying in Safi is the best option, which allows you to check the coast and other spots on the drive down. The factory is depressing and noisy and makes the water quality dubious, although it looks clean and green enough, so it's not an ideal place for your girl to sunbathe. But if you're looking to get some solid peaks and pull into a few, here's the place. The locals surf it and are happy to share when they're around, and if you make friends with them they might lead you to some of their more secret reefs down the coast south of the factory, where the landscape is beautiful and the road winds along the hillside. While the swarms of travelers are back-paddling each other at the points around Taghazoute near Agadir, the forgotten Money Wave is still doing its thing near Safi, uncrowded and dependable.