Surf camp in Morocco for beginners: how to choose

Choosing a surf camp in Morocco as a beginner is mostly about choosing a place where being a beginner is not a handicap. In Mirleft, an hour and a half south of Agadir, most of our guests had never surfed before they arrived. The beach break is twenty metres from the school, and the wave there is made for learning.

Do you need to know how to surf already?

No, no prior level is required. Sessions are coached and the instructor adapts each one to the group: you start in the whitewater, standing on a foam board, before paddling further out for the wave. Being able to swim is the only real condition.

How long before you catch your first wave?

Usually in the first or second session — standing in the whitewater, for a few seconds. What takes longer is everything after: paddling efficiently, reading the wave, picking the right moment. That is precisely why the length of the stay matters.

What gear do you need to bring?

Nothing technical: the board and the wetsuit are provided for every coached session. The rest is up to you.

• A swimsuit to wear under the wetsuit.
• High-factor, water-resistant sunscreen.
• A towel and something warm for when you come out of the water.
• Booties if you are wary of rocks — optional on the beach break.

How long should you stay as a beginner?

That is the real question, and the answer depends on what you are after.

• Three days: to try surfing and find out whether the place suits you.
• Five days: our reference format — this is where the movement starts to hold on its own.
• One week: long enough for surfing to become a habit rather than an effort.

For a first stay, five days is the best progress-to-days-off ratio: long enough to get past the early frustration, short enough to fit inside a week of holiday.

What is included in the price?

Our stays are all-inclusive: coached surf sessions timed to the conditions, board and wetsuit, accommodation in a shared or private room, and full board — lunch facing the ocean at the school's café-restaurant, home-cooked dinner at the camp. The airport shuttle from Agadir, yoga, hammam and excursions stay optional. Prices by length are on the stays page.

When is the best time to start?

The season runs from September to May, with water around nineteen degrees. For a beginner, autumn and spring are the most comfortable: steady but reasonable swells. In deep winter, when the Atlantic sends bigger sets, we move to more sheltered fallback spots — you can learn here all year round.

Learning to surf in Morocco at a camp on a human scale, with no crowd and no factory feel: that is what we do in Mirleft. Pick your length, we handle the rest.