The Mehdia Surf School and Camp was started four years ago and the surf school itself is the base for a large number of Mehdia surfers.

Surfing the North of Morocco:  I woke up on Saturday morning in the middle of the school and was surrounded by youngsters in boardshorts and sun-bleached hair. I’d arrived from the desert the night before with a one-line address that led me to a closed hostel. Various helpful people soon had me lodging with the school and waking in the morning to an environment that was more island than Arab was pleasantly disorientating.

Disgusted with the amount of bodyboarders, the school’s main aim is to up the number of surfers in the water but it’s indicative of the free and friendly vibe of Moroccan surfing that Fouad, one of their main instructors, is a bodyboarder. The surf culture in Mehdia is very much all-inclusive and you make good friends real quick around here regardless of your skill, nationality or anything else for that matter.

“I’ve been coming here for 20 years, man. It’s so easy to come but I always find it so hard to leave” mutters the Spaniard who’s been here for 3 weeks. “I have to leave tomorrow, man. I’ve been here too long already.” He says the same thing every night. I know what he means; I came for a day and still haven’t left after a week.

Surfers from all over the world come to stay here and get introduced to the family atmosphere at the house that holds the surf school. Most nights the guys gather to cook a meal and if you have the skills, they’ll be glad if you take a turn. Most Moroccans can cook well and you’ll be experiencing the cuisine the way everyone should – with a group of good friends.

Here it’s all about the surf. It’s all about learning about each other’s food, music, culture and the universal language of waves. Speaking to Boumediene, the owner, and Youssef, the right-hand man, about the school doesn’t spark much enthusiasm but mention the surf and their eyes get all bright and sparkly.

The Location

Mehdia Plage is next to a river that has a jetty running into the ocean on either side of the mouth. On the left is the long stretch of brown beach that has breaks you can surf most days of the year. Perfect for beginners on the pushing tide and better for more experienced surfers on the high tide, this beach break is where the school takes most of its students.

Once the surf gets slightly bigger and better, the best spot is next to the pier where there is a nicely shaped right. When the swell gets bigger than 2 meters, the beach break starts to close out and the break inside the river starts to work. Now the guys start getting excited in their descriptions.

The left break inside the river (200m from the mouth) has a fast aggressive take-off into a tube section and then opening up for a more ‘normal’ ride. This is definitely the place if you’re a charger looking for exciting waves in Morocco. Boumediene and Youssef certainly are - they’re smiling just thinking about it.

Unfortunately (or fortunately given my level of surf skill), I find myself at the time of year when there isn’t much swell and the wind tends to be onshore (South). The best swell is September to November for the right break next to the pier and December to March for the left break in the river.

When the wind is onshore, you also have the option of going to Chlihat for which the South wind is offshore. Swell is also usually half a meter bigger with a hard aggressive take-off. The only problem is getting there. It’s either a 10 minute paddle across the river dodging ships, or it’s a boat ride from the port followed by a 15 minute walk, or it’s an hour drive by car.

The water temperature even in winter doesn’t go below 12 degrees so a 3-2 wetsuit is more than sufficient. In summer you don’t need a wetsuit. Similarly the weather never gets too cold during the day - you’ll only need to dress warm for those winter nights.

What is the best thing about Mehdia Plage?

The best thing of Mehdia Plage and staying at the surf school is that it’s just such a surfer environment. Walking along the streets, you’re as likely to bump into Morocco’s junior champion as you are to bump into Mustapha - the legend - Morocco’s first surfer. There are cafés all along the beachfront from which you can check for waves while you sip on your morning coffee or, in the afternoon, to sit and sip on your Coca Cola’s and talk about waves. In the surf school, there’s always a surf movie playing and surfer magazines from all over the world.

Morocco is definitely not Indonesia but for sure there’s surf to be had here and a brilliant surf culture as well. Boumediene and Youssef both admit that their favourite Moroccan surf spots are in the South (where the atmosphere is more European), but in the North, nothing beats Mehdia for its waves and welcoming vibe for all levels of surfers.

“When you are here, you must throw your anchor down” says Youssef.

Yeah, I like it here – it’s like family. When the swell is here, this place must be close to heaven because I can’t seem to leave and the surf isn’t all that good. And when I look at the pictures, I know I’m coming back because there’re waves to be had and this is a great place to have them.

Surf Stats for Mehdia Plage

visit www.mehdiasurf.com for more info.

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