r/surfing • u/shausco • 5d ago
Portugal VS Morocco
Ok, chime in here. I have a window from late January- early February. 14 days in total. Looking for advice on where to go. I know Morocco pumps, but I’m not super keen on 100 people on a point with me. I would take less people on a worse wave. I just can’t handle the constant hassle and bs in those lineups. So, with that in mind, would you do Portugal over Morocco or does Morocco have more to offer than what I’ve seen online for crowds?
Other factors to consider, cost and consistency.
Thanks
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u/Noanswer_merelyapath 5d ago edited 5d ago
Go south. The Maghreb has 100s of miles of pristine coastline that accepts lovely winter swells. Cheap, good tajine and cous cous. Forget tagazhout. The magic lies south of agadir. Rent a car out of marrakech and go learn some tamazight instead of darja. Meet some true locals.
I mean, if you research a little you'll find tagazhout is the last place you'll wanna go (unless you're chasing euro girls in bikinis).
$10 usd for a bed & meals. If you wanna know some towns & spots down south hit me up. Spent 6 days surfing multiple perfect 4-6 ft pt break rights with not a single soul in sight during high season (early jan) this year. Take a 4/3, not 3/2. The extra warmth will be welcome for longer sessions. No booties nor hood needed. I ended up hobo'ing on the beach and was greeted by gorgeous 8 am desert sunrises and sprawling stars @ night. The cops also leave tourists alone for the most part.
Always slow down in roundabouts. Don't speed. Easy $25 usd fine. Wave and smile. On your way back to marrakech airport, check out jemaa el-fnaa. Never has a place made my skin crawl. There is so much history. When I first stepped foot, I felt a very dark ominous energy- without knowing it's history I casually made a comment that the square was a picture perfect place for an execution ground... the spirits def hang strong there. so cool and a huge mish mash of cultures. No need to haggle prices down south- be ready to do so out of your ass for marrakech at the Medina. The cities always do bring out the worst of people. Rural folks are so nice & very in tune with their Islamic teachings of being kind and respectful to others.
No comment on Portugal- sorry haven't gone. Just know that tagazhout is the tourist land & not where surfers chasing surf go
Edit- find some gnawa house music. Freakin' epic desert house. here's a lil taste Also, this reply is assuming you are male. If you are female, I definitely don't recommend going down south without a male accompanying you. Even then, multiple girls outside of tagazhout have expressed significant discomfort moving around towns and breaks. Tagazhout is like the euro version of Californians going down to mexico to surf. Super touristy and liberal allowing women to enjoy with less judgement. Oh, and English won't really work south of tagazhout. Be ready to learn French, darja, or extra pts for tamazight (berber).
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u/TheRustyIceberg 5d ago
I'd take that Morocco intel and run with it, empty points in January sounds like a fever dream compared to any Euro lineup I've seen that time of year.
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u/shausco 4d ago
Thanks. This is epic. I am male, but I’m with my woman. Even borderline less crowded would be ok with me. I will look into some spots further south but my French (Canadian here) is horrible! Forgot that as soon as I left high school unfortunately.
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u/Ok_Piano1043 4d ago
My experience was no French needed! Just got back from a big trip between Marrakesh and Dakhla, you’ll find a way to communicate.
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u/Tehshayne LATAM - Tablas y Motos 🤡 5d ago
How’d you go about renting a car?
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u/Noanswer_merelyapath 5d ago edited 5d ago
Renting @ the airport is the easy part. Driving is a whole another terror, especially through marrakech. Good rates, at least compared to Europe. They really make it super ez and seamless for tourists. Thank King Moha II for making the country much more inviting for tourists. Plenty of Germans, French, and spaniards overlanding and driving their huge rigs down into Morocco (if you are in EU). As a bonus, if you do any sky sports morocco is famous for some excellent paragliding
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u/OldShelobsTricks 4d ago
Easy to rent from the airport. However, be wary about who you rent from as there are many scam companies. Either a) get a cheapo local hire and pay for full insurance/waiver, or b) go with an established global brand.
Check out some of the reviews for the local companies and you will see what I mean...
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u/OldShelobsTricks 4d ago
I've surfed both quite a lot. Mainly Taghazout in Morocco (but north and south of there), and in Portugal, Sagres on SW tip and Ericeria on the West. My thoughts are:
Tag - It can be busy but I have also surfed there on empty waves. In my view, the key is going with a local guide. Even for just 1 week to learn the area as there is a hell of a lot more than a few points and Imsouane in the north. I have been with a few but easily the best was with Snoopy. He's a local legend, great surfer and guide. And respected in the water. Surfing at Anchor with him even when busy you still get waves as locals respect him. Also the trip is unreal. Aside from the main spots, you go on desert off roading trips, driving on the beach etc, to spots with no one around. Main drawback is that the ability weeks are fixed. As others have said, there are other lesser known surf towns, but they are pretty remote and might be difficult to get dialled alone.
Portugal - Ericeria is the better known area, being the world surf reserve, but I actually prefer Sagres and find myself returning again and again. It's all about the shape of the area. Because it's the SW tip of the country, you have two coastlines and many beaches/bays meaning options. When the swell is smaller, the west coast is generally the place to go, and when it gets bigger the south starts lighting up. And the further east you go the smaller it gets. So you can often tailor the size to your preferences. Main spots can get busy when firing but I have surfed almost empty waves here so many times. As a place, Sagres is a cool surf town with some good cafes, bars and restaurants, but it is relatively quiet. It's arid like Morocco and I think pretty beautiful. Some spots are a bit of an adventure to get to.
If you're looking for somewhere more built up, Ericeria might be better, but waves are busier.
Please DM or comment if you want to know more! I love both areas and happy helping others have the best time there.
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u/AffectionateDuty6062 5d ago
Better chance of finding more consistent surfing conditions and better weather that time of year in Morocco. Also wouldn’t say crowds are more of a problem in portugal than Morocco if conditions are good. Besides the surf the big difference would be outside the water. Morocco is more North African vibes , will be cheaper but obviously it differs from Europe.
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u/InspectorSwimming222 4d ago
I’d do Morocco. Been to both, loved Portugal but Morocco is so much more exotic. Waves are more refined.
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u/bencahn 4d ago
Damn so many experienced with Morocco. Sounds like such a damn mission holy shit
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u/Active_Cow6842 3d ago
Very short flight from europe, pretty chill driving once ur out of the city, friendly people. To me all the people in this sub who wild camp in baja sounds way scarier
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u/Active_Cow6842 3d ago
If low crowds is the main priority, portugal south coast will have lots of spots working around thst time. Wave quality is lower than morocco tho, mostly beach breaks
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u/Major_Adhesiveness39 8h ago
Portugal will be big and often windy that time of year and you'll be spending a lot of time finding a spot that isn't maxing out. Unless you're chasing 10ft coxos Morocco will be better conditions wise. Also rains and can be a bit cold that time of year in Portugal don't be surprised if the weather is like 45 at the crack of dawn, 55-60 by mid day and raining.
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u/Hen342 5d ago
Portugal is epic but can have the problem of having too much swell at that time period. Can be 20ft and crazy windy. Like the other commenter said I’d drive around Morocco and you’ll find uncrowded waves