Shocked to hear that Imsouane, an authentic, free-spirited, artistic, and much loved fishing and surfing village, was being taken down, my friend Kevin (@moracro) and I drove north to witness if the rumours were true. The village has become famous amongst surfers, due to its authentic be-free vibes, away from modernity, fresh fish, easy going and hospitable people, and two perfectly situated, different types of waves, in walking distance from one another.
There is the longboarders wave, 'The Bay', that breaks off a sandbank in front of the main harbor wall. The beach faces south. Due to its geographics, the dominant WNW swells wraps around this harbor, and tosses 300-500m (!) long mellow righthanders into Imsouane's fisherman bay. The fishing boats literally cross the line-up, they sail ashore after a night (or two!) of fishing, and unload their catch.
Before or after your session, you eat the freshest fish ever! On it's day, when the swell buouys tell us there is 1.5-2.0m swell @15-18 seconds, the hearts of every surfer in town (and beyond) will start beating a little faster, as magnificent blue walls, the size of freight trains, come through, and deliver extasy to many a surfer who manages to catch them, and wonder to those who stand ashore dreaming of surfing one day. One of my longest rides there, ridden on a 7'4ft Madness softboard, took me from the main peak, all the way to the last section. When you get hooted by your fellow surfers in the water, you know you're on a good one!
And then there is the 'shortboard' wave, 'Cathedral', a pointbreak (and the inside beach break is lovely too) that produces heavy sections, and a beautiful wall to play with. This beach faces west, and invites strong paddlers to brave it's peak. Once, I had this wave to myself for 45 minutes. It was on a beautiful day with 1.5m @14s or something. If you don't have a clue; these are ideal conditions for shortboarding.
Spending several days there, arriving with Stan the Van, staying at the central parking lot with other roadies, I was on a minibreak from the busier Tamraght/Taghazout area. I timed my session right, with the help of a French bodyboarder, who told me about the swell window. I surfed my Sharpeye 6'2, and in those 45 minutes I scored about 5-6 waves. It was quite a paddle. But the fact I was alone, meant I could go for every wave I was lining up for, unhindered, without distraction. Had some of my best technical rides that day, and the inside section even gave me a little cover-up. Imsouane showed me that the gates to joy were wide open! As you can read, I love Imsouane. I have loved it since the first time I got there in 2017, working for Surf Star Morocco in Tamraght. The trip to get there is wonderful, seeing camels on the way, sand dunes, goats in trees, and marvelous banana plantages. It was the first line-up I surfed with a very large amount of people in the water; When it is on, it can be like a jungle out there, people hooting, laughing, and making funny sounds in the line-up.
It came as a shock to hear this village was undergoing the same tranformation as other authentic fishermans's villages like Tiznit. So when my buddy Kevin (YouTuber and Acro Yoga Teacher) asked if we should go, have a look, document what's going on, I slept on it, and woke up thinking about the village and we headed out there after breakfast.
The video below shows a village in transition. The atmosphere was mixed, but most people seemed to accept it. Moroccans have faith. It's not my place to be critical or political, all I hope for is a bright future for every person who lost their home in Imsouane that day.. And proper financial care for those who need it, during these uncertain days of transition. Thanking all the villagers for always welcoming me, sharing fish, waves and good vibes. Much Love.
On a final remark; The waves are not going to change, and the people need tourism to live from, so what better can SACKED do than inviting you to show you this magical bay. If you like to know more, email to sackedsurftour@gmail.com or WhatsApp me on +212(0)613314845.
Take it easy,
IB.